Kyubed:Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto
by ContraBardus
Summary: A young Naruto meets two strange men in the woods, with an even stranger story. After agreeing to special training, he finds the path of the true shinobi a bit different than he, or anyone else in the village expected.
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes and a warning:

Before we begin, I'd like to make something clear. This is a story for grown ups. It's been rated 'M' on the website from the day I first posted it, and that's not an accident. Read the ratings folks.

I'm writing more for parents that have to put up with the Anime because of their children and more mature readers who understand that even what is largely considered children's entertainment in Japan is capable of cussing, somewhat brutal violence, and dirty jokes. This is a parody story. Children or more conservative fans who buy the US Shonen Jump or watch it on American television may be in for a bit of a jarring experience.

This story is based off the original Manga. Not the 'kid safe' over censored Americanized version those familiar with the show from US television might be thinking of. Nothing in the story goes out of the boundaries of the type of humor or violence presented in the original manga, but it might be a bit more than someone who's only been exposed to the US version is expecting.

The dirty jokes, cussing, nudity [implied, as there's no pictures]. sexual innuendo, and violence of the original uncensored Japanese version of the series is all intact here. While never pornographic, this is 'PG-13' material, bordering on 'R'. It even goes a bit further on the innuendo side of things.

Jiraiya is a pervert, the characters are a little foul mouthed, and fan service and sexual innuendo is not held back.

The real Naruto does not say 'Believe it!' and characters are more than capable of using words like 'damn', 'shit', and the occasional 'F-bomb'. Nudity and jokes about perversion and sex are quite common. Japan is a great deal more liberal about these things than the US is, even in what they consider children's entertainment. That's just how Shonen manga rolls, and always has.

Just ask a Dragonball fan about what a 'Puff Puff' is and you'll discover what I mean.

You have been warned...

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto.

A Naruto fanfic by Carrotglace.

Part 1 Naruto vs. Ninja.

OooOOooOO

Long ago, and far away, two ninja sat together on a tree branch. They were dressed in black clothes, with black hoods, and all of their weapons were made of black metal that didn't shine. They were both rather lost.

Moments before, they had killed an evil wizard, and tried to steal a magical artifact from him. Unfortunately for them, the assassination went perfectly, the theft did not.

The taller of the two turned his eyes towards his partner. "Well, at least no one will remember us. A fine end for a Shinobi, I suppose." Both men knew they were very far from home. Forest with trees of the number and size they were seeing didn't exist anywhere on their world. The pair had seen most of it. They were still young, but had seen much in their short seven years of service as fully trained professionals. They were the best in their trade in generations, and had a reputation for excellence, at a price according to the few who had known them.

"You know Ryu, you're right. Any idea where we are?" The other was only a little shorter than his friend.

The man closed his eyes. "Hmmm. Nope. There are people here. A settlement, that way." He nodded to the east.

"No hurry to meet them, Ken. We've got time. I don't expect we'll be going back?" His voice wavered a little.

"I suppose not. That stupid mirror didn't come with us. I'm not sure we're dealing with people." His head turned. "Well, I guess that answers that." Someone dressed in bright orange was moving about on the forest floor below. He looked about ten or so, with very blond and spiky hair.

His partner nodded. "Right."

They jumped off the branches, and bounded their way down to the tiny orange and yellow spot far below them.

OooOOooOO

Naruto Uzumaki froze, he was training, out on his own not far from the village. Two men appeared on either side of him out of nowhere. One of them spoke up.

"You're a bit small to be wandering out on your own this far. Who is with you?" The taller one was looking about with his arms crossed in front of him. The other was behind him, they'd come out of nowhere, and just appeared from outside his field of vision and caught him off guard.

The kid growled, the jerks didn't know what they were messing with. "What's it to you? What do you want?! What are you doing out here! Tell me!"

The shorter one gave a distasteful snort. "Is that what passes for manners around here? Why are you dressed like that? Are you hunting or something?"

Naruto growled. "I'm a ninja you jerks!"

The pair burst into laughter. After a moment they were gasping for breath and wiping tears from their eyes.

The blond kid growled. "Hey! It's true, one day, I'm gonna become Hokage!"

It only made the men laugh harder. They were bent over and slapping their knees, howling with laughter.

"Stop! You're killing us!" The shorter one was doubled over and had a bit of trouble saying it through his laughter.

"Grrr. Look, are you going to attack me or what?!" The boy looked steamed.

The adults calmed and the taller one slapped his knee. "A ninja he says!"

"It's great! Wow!" Ken was still fighting off his chuckles.

Ryu looked confused. "I think he wants us to attack him."

"What? Why?" Ken shrugged and scratched his head.

The other shinobi nodded. "Well, I suppose we did surprise him."

"Hey! I'm gonna! Believe it!" The kid stuck his tongue out.

Ryu looked at his friend. "Look, maybe he's retarded?"

Ken nodded and looked thoughtful. "Yes, most unfortunate. It would explain why he's shouting wouldn't it? The orange jumpsuit too."

"Hmmm, yes. A ninja, dressed like that? How silly." The pair looked at the boy.

Naruto had his jaw hanging. "You jerks! I am not retarded!"

Ryu shrugged. "Then why are you dressed like that if you're a ninja? Is it some sort of uniform, to help you infiltrate the enemy's base?" The man seemed to think the kid was playing some sort of game.

"Man, this is so weird." The kid gave a sigh. "Look. What's wrong with my clothes?"

The men crossed their arms and looked at each other. Ken spoke up. "Well, we're real ninja. Look, black hoods, black clothes, sandals, swords, the whole deal. It's kind of hard to hide in the shadows dressed as a crossing guard kid. You need to cover that hair of yours up too. You stick out like a sore thumb."

Naruto was confused. "So what are you doing here then?"

Ken shrugged. "Actually, we're just sort of here. I suppose we're for hire. We're new to the area, don't worry, you won't be seeing us around."

The young ninja frowned at them. He had gone silent. "What do you want?"

Ryu chuckled. "Just to have a chat with one of the locals. We weren't even sure if we spoke the same language to be honest."

"Yeah? Well get lost then. I know if I work hard enough, I'll become a true ninja and become Hokage!" The boy frowned at them.

The pair of older shinobi looked at each other. Ken scrunched his eyebrows. "What's a 'Hokage'?"

Ryu shrugged. "I'm not sure. Some kind of ninja apparently."

Ken whispered to his partner. "Let's have a bit of fun then. Learn the lay of the land."

Ryu nodded and seemed to understand. "We'll learn the lay of the land, and in return..."

Ken chuckled. "Pure entertainment."

Naruto was huffing away grumbling to himself. "Black? What? That's stupid!" He looked up and saw them both leaning on trees ahead of him.

"Hey, kid. You really want to be a real ninja?" Ken pushed himself off his tree.

"We can train you, but it's gonna take total commitment. If you agree, you've got to go through with it. No backing down. It's real hard too, harder than you think." Ryu nodded and looked up the road. "It's gonna really hurt, in lots of different ways, but you'll live."

"You seem like a tough kid. I kind of like you." Ken leaned in towards the uncomfortable looking boy.

"How do I know..." They were both just gone all of a sudden. He closed his eyes, feeling for them, reaching out to find their Chakra. He'd never pulled it off before, but it was worth a shot in his mind.

"Hey. Why are his eyes closed?" Ken's voice piped up.

Naruto was on his rear, gasping for breath. "Wha? How did?"

Ryu snorted in amusement as the boy looked between them in surprise. They were right back where they were before they'd vanished, in the same positions. "Well? I suppose we could use a student."

The boy took a few steps back. "Why would you want to train me?"

The men shrugged and replied in unison. "We've got nothing better to do right now."

Ken nodded and looked the boy in the eye. "Plus. We don't really know much about this place. It's a long story."

The boy looked up at the sky. "I've got time."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was grinning at the pair. "Wow! That's so cool! Some sort of magic mirror?" He had spent the better part of an hour listening to their final mission for their former government.

Ken looked annoyed, Ryu had done most of the story telling. "Yeah. Cool."

Ryu shrugged. "Neither one of us had a family. It's not so bad. A fresh start."

Naruto seemed saddened for a moment. "Yeah. No family."

The two ninja slapped his shoulders. Ryu looked down at him. "It's a deal then? We'll teach you how to be a Shinobi, and you teach us how stuff works around here."

Key shook the boy's shoulder. "It seems we've found a kindred spirit. Something tells me you don't have much to miss at home either."

"I guess. I'll show you to the village." The boy shrugged and nodded. He didn't really trust them, but he was starting to like them a bit. They seemed very cheerful.

Ken shook his head. "No. No need. We don't like other people much. You do understand that the entire point of the Shinobi arts is not being seen right? You know, silence, stealth, spying, assassination, theft, and espionage. That's kind of what it is. The best ninja is the one who only his master and those he needs to work with even know he exists. We are not to be seen, only felt, and no evidence of our passing can be left. Unless it's part of your instructions. Sometimes they want you to leave a note or steal something. Not often though."

The boy whipped his head to stare at the man. "What?"

Ryu looked down at the boy, neither one of them had removed their hoods. "If you train with us, and work hard, you will be invisible. Come, let's see how well you do."

Ken was quite pleased. The boy appeared to be a total sap. He believed their story, even if it was true, it was still rather thick of him in his opinion. It would be an absolute gas!

The boy looked pensive, but he was still young. "I'm not so sure I should. I think I could get in trouble for this."

Ryu slapped his shoulder and looked at his friend. They needed someone who could tell them a bit about where they were. "Well, what they don't know won't hurt them. It's secret training after all, not very useful if you tell everyone. What good is being invisible if everyone else is too?" He was looking to curb future boredom with the boy, but they needed to learn as much as they could about their new surroundings. "This training is just for you, just between us. You look like the type who might enjoy getting into a bit of trouble for some fun sometimes."

Ken nodded at his partner in a serious manner. He knew what he was doing. They were going to have to find this village, scout it out, and infiltrate it to learn as much as they could about where they'd found themselves. He didn't think it was just another country, they were very far from home, and wouldn't see it again. He wasn't all that upset, as it was sort of expected. Very few of his kind survived to retire, and they weren't very useful at home most of the time anymore. The boy had become suspicious if questioned directly, gaining his trust through training would help get him to open up about where they were. "Lucky break, finding this one."

Naruto seemed annoyed. "I don't even know you guys. How do I know you're really from another dimension, and that you're not trying to trick me into some sort of plot against the village?"

Ken and Ryu looked at each other. Ryu shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head a little. "Well, there are only two of us. How much damage do you think two people can cause?"

The boy looked somber. "Quite a bit."

"Yes. It will be fun though." Ryu nodded and grinned.

"I do hope you enjoy getting into a little trouble. We're good at that." Ken was just as cheerful about the subject.

Ryu looked over at his friend. "Do you think they did it to us on purpose?"

Ken blinked and worked his mouth. "Well, maybe we did go a bit far."

The boy was annoyed and confused. "What are you talking about?"

Ken looked down at him and sighed. "It's pretty peaceful where we come from. I mean, there's the occasional decent job, but...we get...kind of bored."

Ryu got a wistful grin on his face. "Yeah. We replaced the Shogun's daughter's tea stores with dried pot."

Ken shook his head. "That went rather well. She married the next day. I kind of feel sorry for the guy. She was fun after she drank it, otherwise..." He shuddered. "I'm thinking it was when we cut out the soles of that visiting Dynamo's shoes and replaced them with those dried turd molds we made."

The taller shinobi nodded. "Perhaps. That was a good one by the way. They were fine indoors, but the moment he went outside and stepped in that puddle...classic."

The shorter one chuckled. "Ah. I am going to miss it I suppose. It's a good thing we're so good at disappearing. They never could prove it was us."

Naruto was looking a bit dazed. "So...um...what is it you're supposed to be teaching me?"

Ryu ruffled his hair, it annoyed the boy, and made him chuckle. "How to get in trouble, and not get caught of course."

Ken nodded. "Yeah. It's a real bitch to learn, but once you've got it, it's loads of fun."

His partner nodded. "Pretty much. Thing is, once you start, you can't stop. We won't let you, so if you agree, you're stuck with us until we decide we're through with you."

The boy scratched his head. "Huh? Okay. I guess."

Ken extended his hand. "It's agreed then?"

Naruto seemed to mull on it and looked at the man's hand. It would be nice to be able to get out of trouble. People liked to blame things on him, and it wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault. "Do I have to come out here and meet you every night or something?"

The pair looked at each other. Ryu nodded. "There's a bit of that involved, but you'll be seeing us about more and more."

Ken was quite cheerful as he agreed. "Yeah. We're your new invisible friends."

The boy looked surprised. "Friends?"

Ryu coughed and looked at his friend. "Well, we are training you. We like you, but we're in charge I'm afraid. You've got to do whatever we say. Don't worry, you won't always like it, but we'll look after you."

Naruto gave them another stare down with his arms crossed. He'd decided he didn't trust either one of them, but he liked them anyway. It was odd, but he felt very much alone. He grasped the man's hand. "Deal!"

Ken nodded and winced at the boy's loud shout. He leaned in and shook his shoulder. "Good. Now, lesson one, stop shouting. It calls attention to you, but not of a good sort."

The boy looked surprised. "Huh?"

Ryu gave a grave nod. "Yes. It is very important you learn to speak silently. If you cannot, we will be forced to cut out your tongue."

Ken nodded. "Yeah. Kanzaki was a great Shinobi, despite his handicap. He really should have listened to Master Koto though."

Naruto looked worried. "Um. Right." He squeaked it out. "What are you gonna do to me anyway?"

"We'll find interesting situations to put you into. Plus, we'll show you the ropes and teach you a few tricks of the trade when you meet with us. We'll give you advice, though it might not always be good, in order to get you to learn something." Ryu shrugged. "We're not always honest, but we'll get you trained. Even we have some honor. We promised to look after you while you are training."

Ken looked down and ruffled his hair. The boy flushed, he wasn't used to that sort of thing and shied away a little. "Why do you want to become Hokage?"

"So people will notice me, and acknowledge me. I'll become a true hero, and become Hokage, then everyone will know and respect me!" He got very excited and posed with his thumb up.

Ryu and Ken stopped, held his shoulders and spoke at the same time. "Then you can't be a ninja."

Ryu shook his head and sighed. "If that's what you want, you need to be a Samurai. What you desire, is not the path of a true ninja. To be the greatest ninja, no one can remember you, save those who stand with you."

Ken gave a grave nod. "You must become invisible, untraceable, non existent. We are not to stand out and face our enemies openly. It is not the path of the ninja. If you find what you seek in this line of work, you're not doing it right. Hokage is a fine aim, a noble goal. Those are things for Samurai, not Shinobi. We have our own way, our own honor."

His partner gave a more cheerful nod. "Yes, but it's also much more fun. We don't have to worry about purity, or honesty, or face to face dumb ass fair fights. We're much more laid back, just don't go crazy and start hurting innocent people, and you'll pretty much be fine. We are about precision, speed, silence, and stealth. We are meant to move quickly, and not be noticed, that usually means not lingering about with others much. We don't kill for fun, or pleasure, though it can be a bit satisfying to get rid of the right sort of person."

The other shinobi shrugged. "That's not to say you can't want to be Hokage someday. I suppose it's not impossible, but we wouldn't know much about that. You seem to believe it, there's nothing wrong with that, but to become a true ninja, you might be forced to give up that dream. It is best to be ready to face that fate." Ken smirked. "Last chance to back out kid."

His partner gave a serious nod. "Yes, someone looking for personal glory, or personal revenge, can be more dangerous than the enemy. The life of a Shinobi is a life of service, not glory, and there is no room for revenge or personal feelings in it. Let the Samurai have their honor, I prefer duty. Those who seek personal ambition, cannot be trusted with duty. Sooner or later, their ambition will stand in the way, and such a man will become unreliable."

Ryu chuckled. "Yes, though, it is kind of nice to take a break from that I suppose. We're not really serving anyone now."

Naruto hung his head and gave a heavy sigh. "You guys are weird, but I like you for some reason. I guess I'll train with you." His eyes were rather wide and he looked like he'd had a sort of horrible realization.

Ken shook his head. "Don't look so down kid. You're not so bad off. What's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." The boy gave a sort of dazed nod.

"I'm Master Ken, and this is Master Ryu. Look, being Hokage is a fine aim. Your duty may one day prevent it, but it might not. You aren't going to be much good if you're more worried about that than you are about what you are doing. Have your dream, but remember it may just be a dream. Duty comes before ambition for a Shinobi. That doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun sometimes though, it's not so bad. Just remember, you've got to make up for it later when they need you. It will help keep your mind and skills sharp, but it will also upset people sometimes, so you've got to learn how to not get caught."

Naruto's eyes lit up a little. "Like pranks and stuff? As training?"

Ryu nodded. "We can teach you, and in return, you teach us about this place we've found ourselves in. We're not from this world, and I'll tell you now, you won't learn what we can teach you from anyone here. I guarantee it."

That sealed the deal in the boy's mind. "Right! I can do it!"

Ken put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't forget lesson one. Not just with us either, it's annoying, and you should just stop doing it. Remember we will honor our end of this deal. You will be trained, by any means necessary. Now, this is our duty."

Ryu looked a bit surprised, but nodded in a serious manner. "Very well. Putting all our chips on this one are we?"

The boy looked up at him with a frown on his face and nodded. "I will learn."

OooOOooOO

Two years later...

Ryu and Ken were just outside the ninja village. They had discovered the place they had found themselves in was very close to Japan. Even the food was good. They were looking out across the village with telescopes hidden in the rocks on the nearby mountain.

Ken snorted through his nose. "Ninja village indeed. I'm telling you they aren't Shinobi. They just...sort of act like Shinobi most of the time."

"I have to agree." Ryu nodded and seemed less concerned with the subject. "Really. Tossing about fireballs, making explosions, burning enough chi to turn yourself into a beacon, screaming, facing your enemies, being honest. It's kind of annoying isn't it?"

His partner nodded. "Yeah. Whoa! There she is! There she is!" He became excited and went quiet.

Ryu couldn't spot what he was looking at. "What? What is it?"

"It's that hot babe in the fishnet shirt and coat. Man this place is awesome!"

"You'd think with all these plants they'd be able to make more fabric."

Ken sighed. "Man. I'm gonna figure that one out. She puts out too, seen her with a couple guys in the village."

Ryu nodded. "Did she just swallow three octopus balls whole and toss the stick away?"

His partner was fixated on her rear. "Yup. I think I'm in love."

The taller shinobi chuckled. "Three at once? She's going to be a big girl when she's older."

Ken shook his head. "Are you kidding me? There are no fat chicks here. It's amazing. The girls are all cute, and the women..."

Ryu gave a small sigh as he looked about at the people on the street. "It's like being stuck in an episode of Dragonball. You're right. Are we sure this isn't some sort of odd resort?"

"I might if they weren't still burning wood fires for heat, and hunting and gathering these woods. There are cities about here, but they don't trade openly with them here. They don't seem to want the outside world to notice them. Do I look any hotter to you? Maybe it's something in the water?"

"You're an asshole, you know that right?"

His partner nodded. "Yes. Now I am an asshole with a mission. I'm gonna get me some of that. Might take a while, but I'm gonna do it."

Ryu slapped his shoulder. "Hey. It's the kid. Let's pay him a visit."

OooOOooOO

Naruto Uzumaki stood alone with his hands in his pockets. He was dressed in black, and standing in the shade of a tree. He didn't feel like being around other people at the moment. He had a black scarf around his neck and a hood hiding his hair.

Everyone hated him, blamed him when something went wrong if he was nearby. He'd learned to get out of sight if something happened while he was around. His curse made a lot of people in the village avoid him. Most of the other kids would talk to him, but he could tell they were just putting up with him. A few tried to bully him, but his two invisible friends had helped make getting away much easier. It was rare for him to even have to throw a punch to avoid his tormentors. He'd developed a reputation in his age group as something of a coward because of it. Uzumaki Naruto, the crazy chicken. No one else seemed to really notice him.

He'd grown to regret the deal he made with the two men in some ways. They let the school take care of training his body. They'd both expressed a bit of surprise in how fit was. He still couldn't use his Chakra more than a little. Nothing useful at any rate. As usual, two voices came out of nowhere when he was alone.

"Hey kid."

"How's it going?"

He closed his eyes and growled. He knew they were nearby, but trying to see them had proven fruitless in the past. "What do you want?"

Ken's familiar chuckle. "We've got a job for you."

Naruto growled. If he didn't, things would just start going wrong around him. They hadn't done anything for his image. He'd gotten so mad at them, he'd told the Hokage about them to try and explain why he'd filled the water fountain outside his house with noodles. He'd gotten a more severe punishment, and now everyone thought he had two imaginary friends. "Great, now what?" No one but him knew they existed, but they could make quite a mess if he didn't do what they wanted.

"We want two pairs of Anko Mitirashi's panties."

"Bring them to the edge of the village tonight. We'll be watching."

The boy went rigid. "No way!"

Ryu clucked his tongue. "Do it, or else..."

Naruto was sweating bullets. "She... she'll kill me!"

Ken spoke up. "Yeah, if she catches you. Think of it as a test. You'll be moving up in your training soon. Getting a new instructor and all in a month or two."

OooOOooOO

It was the middle of the night, Naruto was sweating bullets, not saying a word, and wishing what was going on around him wasn't going on. Miss Anko was making a lot of noise, and not as asleep as he'd thought, nor was the guy he didn't give a spit about outside of not being seen.

The pair was doing something under a sheet about three feet away from him. The only light was the moon from the window, leaving him in total darkness. He managed to open the draw far enough to reach in grabbed a handful, and shoved the contents into his shirt. He looked over his shoulder, smirked, and continued to take them from the drawer, stuffing his sleeves and chest with as much as he could grab.

The woman hadn't even poked her head out of the sheets, nor did the man she was with. He slipped away in silence, and left them alone.

OooOOooOO

"Well, we did say only two." Ken looked at his partner. Both of them were wearing a pair of panties on their heads. Ken sniffed at two hand fulls. They were also both wearing bras over their chests.

"Hmm. Indeed. It was a wise decision though. He's to be commended this time I suppose. Still, in the future, follow our instructions." Ryu crossed his arms and tried to look very wise.

"Yeah. Well, what good is getting into trouble and getting away with it if I can't do it for me sometimes?" He wasn't sure what had come over him, but it had given him a heck of a rush.

Ken held one of them out. "Would you like one? I suppose we can't enjoy all of them."

Naruto waved his hands and shook his head. "No way! What am I supposed to do with that? You guys are weird."

Ryu shrugged. "Well, you'll understand in a couple of years or so."

The boy turned away. "We're done right?"

Ken held one of them in front of his face. "Are you sure? A memento of passing your first test?"

"And get caught with the evidence later? She's gonna blow her top. I don't want anything that ties me to that mess." Naruto waved his hands and jogged back towards the village.

Ken and Ryu had panties over their pants by that point as well.

Ryu looked at his friend. "He's a good kid."

"Come on. We've still got a bit of that deer meat left."

They both vanished into the shadows.

OooOOooOO

"We found it this morning sir, and this one covered in paint."

The Hokage gave a heavy sigh as he looked up at the vandalized faces on the mountain. "Release Uchiha. He isn't the culprit, just a distraction."

Sasuke had a frown on his face and jerked his arm free of the man who had brought him to the Hokage's side. The man released him with a surprised expression on his face. "Sir?"

"Release him. He isn't to blame for this, just a convenient distraction." The old man tipped his hat up and puffed on his pipe. He looked a little annoyed.

The young shinobi stiffened up. "With all due respect, he's covered in paint, and there was no one else about. He even had a brush."

The boy hung his head, he was angry and embarrassed. "I woke up covered in paint with that brush on my chest in an alley near the path to the mountain."

The old man chuckled. "It seems our invisible prankster or pranksters has struck again. That paint looks like it was poured on him." He looked down at the rather miserable looking boy. "Uchiha. Drop your pants."

The boy's eyes went wide. "What?" He grabbed for his belt in a protective way and stepped back.

The old man leaned in. "There is only the two of us here, and it will clear your name. You weren't intended to take the blame, just to provide a distraction for our culprit."

The boy nodded, turned about and dropped his shorts enough to expose his rear.

The Hokage pointed. "He's got no paint on his rear. It wasn't him. It's quite obvious those marks on the statues lips were made when our mysterious vandal painted his rear and pressed them on the mountain. Sasuke Uchiha is innocent of wrongdoing. I'm sure I'll be getting an earful of this later." The old man hung his head and rubbed at his chin as he puffed on his pipe. A huge smiley face was drawn onto the mountainside and a poem. "Laugh and the world laughs with you, fart, and you stand alone."

There was a sudden loud rumbling, loud enough to echo off the mountain across the valley. Then, a petering hissing sound.

The old man sniffed at the air and wrinkled his nose. "Wha?" It was awful, a horrid pungent, yet familiar odor.

Sasuke was holding his neck and gagging. "Oh!" He was looking at the old man with wide and horrified eyes.

The adult shinobi was waving his hand in front of his face. "Um, sir?"

Sasuke was staggering back and trying to fight off the overwhelming stench. "I had no idea the Hokage was so...powerful!"

The old man growled and turned to face them. "It wasn't me you idiots."

The trio looked on as the village started to wander out of their homes. Most looking both confused and disgusted, just a few at first, but the crowd was growing.

OooOOooOO

"Here sir."

The Hokage frowned as he glared at the source of the odor that had washed over the entire village. It was a row of powerful fans hidden behind several boulders below the faces on the mountain. In front of these fans was the largest turd pile the old man had ever seen. "I see."

One of the two uniformed shinobi with him pointed to the power lines that had led them to the spot. Someone had managed to lay out almost a mile's worth of extension chords up to the spot. They were buried just under the dirt up to the point where the rocks gave enough cover to run them freely.

"There is no evidence?" The old man gave a serious frown.

"Never is." The ninja on his left spoke up.

The old man just smirked. "I see. Very well, I suppose the worst is over for now. I'll take care of getting the mess cleaned up."

OooOOooOO

"Uzumaki Naruto, you will take care of the mountainside."

The boy standing in front of the Hokage gave a simple nod and didn't speak. He had a rather smug looking smirk on his face as he did it. He was dressed in the black and dark gray clothes he'd taken too, and had his hood off because his position required it. The old man didn't want to say anything, but the smirk bothered him a little. The boy was at the bottom of his class, had a poor attendance record, and had become rather quiet in the last two years.

"Do you know why?" The old man paced in front of him, with his hands behind his back.

The boy shrugged. "You think it was me, but you can't prove it, but you don't want me to get away with it either?"

The old man looked surprised, and returned his smirk. "Yes. That about sums it up. I know it was you boy." He leaned in, took a puff from his pipe and blew it in his face. "You stopped getting into trouble about the time this started. You used to be loud and obnoxious, over the past few years, people barely remember you even exist. A sudden change. I do wonder sometimes about you. Such acts of evil, only breed violence."

"It doesn't matter. It's not like I've got much else to be doing. I don't mind cleaning up the mess too much. It was pretty funny as far as I'm concerned." Naruto nodded and grinned at him. It had been more than worth it to see the look on Sasuke's face. The guy was a total jerk. The hardest part had been getting him out of his house without waking him or leaving a drag trail. The chloroform helped with that a great deal.

"Well, the whole village is upset. This isn't an isolated incident. A lot of children have been ending up like young Sasuke, with just enough evidence to make it appear they had a hand in it on them. Leaving others to take the blame for ones actions is the height of dishonor." The old man looked angry and sneered at the boy in front of him.

Naruto didn't look worried or upset. "Well, it's not like they really got blamed for any of it." Not always, sometimes he let them off easy. "If this guy knew you'd let them off, there's no real problem is there?"

The Hokage chuckled and relaxed a little. "I wonder if he'd step forward to stop it if I did?"

The boy shrugged. "I wouldn't bet on that either." He cocked his head for a moment and seemed to listen to nothing before giving a nod and looking up at the old man. "Besides, if you did, and knew he was innocent, you'd share some of the blame for the injustice."

The Hokage frowned at him. He'd heard about the boy's invisible friends. Others had seen him talking to nothing when he thought he was alone, and on the edges of the village. He turned his back and a grin formed on his face. "You'll be taking an exam soon."

The boy nodded and clenched his fist. "This time, I'm gonna pass it." His voice was even, and his tone just above a whisper.

The Hokage looked over his shoulder at the boy. He'd not heard Naruto's shout in two years. It had once been considered a trademark that he was loud and obnoxious. Now, anyone who wasn't old enough to remember his origins or spent time around him in classes could even recall his name. He wasn't often seen outside of school by anyone, but seemed to know what was going on about the village. "You're up to something boy."

Naruto gave a nod and chuckled. "Always. I'm gonna pass, and become a true Ninja."

The Hokage gave a short nod. "Very well, see your instructor about getting that mess cleaned up. You may go." When he turned around, and found the boy gone, he wasn't as surprised as he'd once been. "Naruto Uzumaki, what have you been up too?"

Something about Uzumaki got to him. He didn't know what it was, but it felt like a mixture of hope, pride, irritation, and worry. He had a feeling if he passed, his instructor would have his hands full. He would have to be very careful in choosing just who that person was.

He was also a cause for worry. He knew what the boy had inside him, and his invisible friends made him nervous. No one had ever seen them, and there was no evidence they were real, but he wondered if they just might be more real than they imagined. The Nine Tailed Fox was very real, and very old and clever. He wasn't so sure the Kyubi didn't have something to do with his 'friends'.

He sighed and slumped down behind his desk. "What am I going to do about that boy?"

OooOOooOO

Iruka frowned as he realized he could see patch of blond in the classroom. "Uzumaki, how good of you to join us." He was a young shinobi, with a scar across his nose and a few spikes of hair that poked from the tight wrapping on top of his head. He looked out over the students in his room and glared at him. "The graduation exam is coming up, and you've failed it twice. This isn't the time to be causing problems."

"What did I do exactly anyway? Hokage just said I've got to clean up the mess. There's no proof I did anything." The boy rubbed his thumb along his nose and avoided eye contact.

The instructor growled. "That's it. Everyone, Henge no Jutsu test. Everyone transform perfectly into me!"

There was a collective groan.

The class looked annoyed with Naruto, and voiced it. "Who is that kid? What's wrong with him? What did he do anyway?"

Iruka took control. "Don't worry about that. Just get up here and take your test when I call your name and stop talking."

Naruto had a grin on his face and sat back. People were giving him annoyed glances, but he didn't seem to notice. He was seen as rather dull witted, and cowardly. No one believed he would ever pass the test outside of the teaching staff, and even a few of them seemed skeptical.

They stood in a line, everyone was coming close enough to satisfy the man into passing them. "Uzumaki Naruto."

The boy shambled up and looked about. No one seemed to expect much from him. "Henge..."

Iruka's jaw dropped as a beautiful naked girl appeared before his class. She blew a kiss at him and winked before vanishing. Naruto was standing in her place, with a smirk on his face. He looked up at the man and grinned.

"I call it, Sexy no Jutsu."

"Don't invent stupid skills! You moron!" Iruka was livid and red faced.

Naruto gave a snort. "Judging from your reaction, it could be quite deadly if I use it the right way."

Iruka froze frowned at the boy. His face became serious and he thought about passing it.

"I can give the old man a heart attack! Heh!"

"Fail!"

"Nuts." The boy shuffled off to his seat and remained silent for the rest of the class.

OooOOooOO

Cleaning up the monument wasn't as difficult as those who had him do it thought. The paint was already gone, leaving colorful pools of rainwater in the rocks under the carvings. "Heh. Lucky break for me, huh?"

Iruka frowned at the boy and knelt down beside the multi colored pools. The color in them swirled and shined. "What the? Some kind of colored soap? I'd heard that Sasuke had paint on him though." He frowned and looked towards his student. "Always misleading." He couldn't forget Naruto, and took notice of the boy, and his absence. He was hard to keep track of, even within the confines of the classroom. There were days in the past he wasn't sure if the boy had attended class or not.

The boy looked up and shrugged. "I guess. Still, there's nothing to clean up now."

The man crossed his arms and smirked. "Oh, you think not?"

OooOOooOO

A short time later Naruto was standing in front of a huge mound of turds with a shovel in his hand and a wheelbarrow beside him. "Nuts."

Iruka nodded. "Yes. Now, we're going to take this pile, and get it down into the forest where it belongs."

The boy muttered under his breath as he started shoveling. "Yeah, yeah. I got nuthin better ta do."

The man looked away as the boy started working. He didn't look pleased with his punishment, but was taking it rather well.

OooOOooOO

Iruka was sitting with his student with a bowl of Ramen in front of them. They had stopped after coming back from their little chore. The boy had taken three loads down the mountain, and raked it all into the forest ground. It would keep the stench from blowing back to the village. The fans had been set up to take advantage of the wind. "Naruto, why would you do such a thing? What did Sasuke do to you anyway?"

"Nothing. Once again, you've got nothing on me. Nobody saw me do anything." He shook his head. "Why are you so big on this?"

He leaned in and frowned at him. "I know it was you now. You've never come into class so clean before."

He hung his head and nodded as he ate. "I took a bath. I don't stink, my nose is better than yours. I'm pretty sure. Why the long face?"

"Always an excuse with you. Why can't you give a straight answer kid?"

"I'll give you some advice. You can't cheat an honest man. Never give a sucker an even break, or smarten up a chump." Naruto shrugged.

"What?" Iruka was confused. "Well, I guess that's not terrible advice. Still. You're not what I expected Uzumaki, but I'm not giving you a break on this test."

"Right. Thanks for the Ramen. See you tomorrow." Iruka glanced over and noticed Naruto's seat was empty. He looked over his shoulder and frowned as he narrowed his eyes. Uzumaki had vanished, and he wasn't that surprised. "I wonder if he really knew how right he was about that technique of his?"

OooOOooOO

Naruto hung his head and squeezed his eyes shut as Iruka explained that the test was 'Bunshin no Jutsu', his worst skill.

He got up at his turn, frowned at the instructor, and tried the technique. A clone of himself appeared, and crumpled to the ground. "Damn."

"Fail."

The other instructor in the room overseeing the test spoke up. Mr. Mizuki was a much more cheerful looking man. "We could let him pass. This was his third time, and he did create a clone."

The boy looked over at the man, but his face fell just as fast.

"No way Mizuki. All the others created two clones, and he only made one useless one. He fails." Iruka looked firm about his decision, but not angry.

OooOOooOO

"Naruto Uzumaki." Mizuki smiled at the boy he found watching the celebrating graduates.

"Mizuki Sensei." The boy looked a little somber, and didn't seem to care much about his surroundings.

OooOOooOO

"What did he tell you?" Ryu's voice spoke to Naruto from the shadows as he walked home. The sun was setting, and both of his friends were hidden nearby.

The boy glanced about, not able to spot them. "Well, he told me there was this scroll that can show me how to do what I need to learn to pass my exam easy. It's in the Hokage's house though, and there's only one."

Ken snorted. "Typical. Look, we don't trust him, and you shouldn't either."

Ryu agreed. "He's up to something. If you think you should, do it. Don't let him find you with that scroll, and put it back when you're done."

OooOOooOO

Naruto looked about the shadows with a thin, but long rolled up page poking from his back. The Hokage was home, and he had something to find. Mizuki had told him about a way that Iruka would be forced to pass him. Well, he was supposed to think that according to his two friends. He was going to check it out, but didn't fully trust what he was doing was for just his benefit.

He had something to do first. He noticed the light under the door beside him and smirked. He took the rolled up page from his back and put it up on the wall opposite the door. It was hard to hold himself together and keep from chuckling as he glued it into place. Without a sound, he finished his job and vanished.

OooOOooOO

A short time later, Naruto was sitting and looking at the over sized scroll in the woods surrounding the village, a fair distance away from it. "Hey. It starts with what I want. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Neat."

OooOOooOO

The Hokage walked out of his toilet feeling refreshed and ready for bed. He had a peaceful looking grin on his face as he opened his door, only to be confronted by a huge poster of a beautiful young buxom girl in the nude blowing him a kiss. His eyes went wide, blood shot out of his nose, and he fell flat on his back. On either side of the girl was writing.

"Beware the Power!"

OooOOooOO

Mizuki gasped for breath as he leaned against Iruka's door. "I saw Naruto leaving the village! He stole The Scroll of the Forbidden Seal as a prank!"

The man looked shocked. "What?"

"We must warn the Hokage!" He rushed off with a growing group of roused Shinobi.

Mizuki chuckled as he fell back. "I'll spread the word a little more, get rid of Naruto, and take the scroll for myself. He's been gone most of the night with it already. It should be easy."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was beaten and tired, he gasped for breath and popped his shoulders. His head lifted as he realized he could hear movement in the woods. He frowned and looked about. Mizuki had told him about a spot in the woods, and he'd gone the wrong direction. "Time to get back."

Ryu appeared behind him. "Indeed. We've been following your new friend. It seems he wants to kill you, and take that thing for himself. You've learned what you need?"

The boy nodded. "I can do it, no problem."

The shinobi looked over his shoulder. "We'll take the scroll back. Why don't you go and meet your friend. Oh, by the way. We've got a gift for you."

Ken appeared at his other side and handed him a straight edged Katana. "Careful, it's sharp."

Naruto looked wary. "I think this thing is important enough to get me in a lot of trouble if you screw around with it."

Ryu backed off and nodded. "Oh. Well, it's time to put it back. You've got what you need, and the whole village is hot on it being missing. Your friend Mizuki stabbed you in the back and has them all worked up."

The boy nodded and clutched the scroll to his chest. He jumped off into the darkness.

OooOOooOO

Uzumaki Naruto smirked as he waited and watched. The first person who appeared in the clearing was Iruka. He was looking about and looked both frustrated and worried. What the older ninja didn't notice, but the boy could see, was that he had a shadow.

Mizuki was above and behind him, with two over sized shuriken on his back.

The boy stayed hidden and waited for them to move past the clearing. He dashed away behind them.

Iruka looked into the shadows and saw a flash of blond hair for a brief moment. "What? Naruto?" He went off after it, veering off and confusing Mizuki for a moment. He was about to move off after him.

The boy appeared at his side. "Hey. I've got what I want. You want something from this scroll too right?" He pointed over his shoulder at the over sized parchment.

Mizuki almost jumped out of his skin and froze as the boy hopped back towards the clearing. He jumped down to the center and frowned as he noticed the boy leaning on it and looking quite casual. "Give me the scroll." He looked quite serious and not very cheerful as he said it in a firm tone.

The young cadet frowned and snorted. "Sure. What the heck do you want with it anyway?"

The man got a wicked smirk on his face. "Well, there's no point in lying, seeing as you seem to be willing to just hand it off. It's full of forbidden and dangerous ninjutsu"

The boy shrugged and kicked it across the grass to the man. Mizuki picked it up, slapped it in his palm, and got an unpleasant grin on his face. "You know about how twelve years ago they sealed up the Demon Fox?"

Naruto looked confused, and a bit of his attitude faded. "Huh?"

The older shinobi gave him a dark looking grin and looked him in the eyes. "Since that day a special rule was made, but it was never meant to be told to you."

The boy looked shocked. "What? What is this rule?" His face became angry as he glared at the man.

"It's that no one can tell you, that you are the Nine Tailed Fox. You are the demon that killed Iruka's parents, and destroyed the village." The man had a mad looking grin on his face as he said it. "I'm afraid I can't let you go back and tell everyone what's happened. You shouldn't mind much, everyone hates you anyway. Isn't it nice to finally know the reason?"

Naruto was shaking, his fist was clenched. "So, then your plan was to use me to steal that scroll, frame me for it, and kill me once you've gotten it for yourself?" His voice wavered. It explained so much about his life, it was all so simple. He was trying to hide his feelings on the matter, and his features shook a bit.

"That's right! What do you care anyway?" Mizuki moved to strike with his weapon. "No one will ever love you! This is why everyone hates you, let me end your pain!"

His face fell as he split a hunk of wood in half. "Wha?"

"Yeah. That was kind of stupid, and in case you've not noticed yet, you've been duped." The boy smirked and crossed his arms as he walked out of the edge of the clearing. Then, another one of him, and another, and another. Dozens of Uzumaki Naruto were coming out of the edge of the wood. "I'm not real happy about hearing that, but it doesn't change that this is my home." He gave the man a rather angry looking grin as he surrounded him on all sides. "Maybe I don't care much for a lot of em, but I'll never become a ninja, or get their respect if I turn into a traitor like you!"

The worst part of all for Mizuki, was that each clone was followed by one of the shinobi from the village. "What? You..."

The Hokage stepped forward and extended his hand, another large scroll was hanging off his back. "If you would be so kind Mizuki. I would like my recipe for Chili Con Carne back. You'll find it's not very valuable."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. His Chili Con Carne stinks."

The old man's head whipped around to glare at the boy.

The shaking and sweating Mizuki ripped open the scroll. "Cheeze, paprika, chili powder, diced tomatoes, refried beans?" He fell to his knees. "You little...you..."

The young shinobi smirked as his clones vanished. "Well, you did get everyone after me, so I just led them all here. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to be a great Ninja."

Iruka looked over at the Hokage and smirked. The old man gave a smile. The teacher called out to his student. "Uzumaki, come over here, there's something I want to give you."

The boy walked up to his teacher and grinned. "Sure."

"Close your eyes." Iruka had a cheerful grin.

The boy was quiet, but nodded. He opened his eyes when prompted and smiled.

"Congratulations, on graduating." Iruka was missing his forehead protector, and it was tied around Naruto's head.

The boy looked over his shoulder. Mizuki was on his knees and being held in place forcibly behind the Hokage. He looked enraged and horrified. "How? My plan was perfect!"

The boy shook his head. "I never fell for it you dope." Well, he had, but he wasn't going to admit to it. "I knew all along I couldn't trust you. You're just a traitor, and now you'll be punished." He pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue.

Those around the field, most of them looked angry at Mizuki, but they were silent and surprised about Naruto.

The Hokage coughed into his hand from beside the new graduate. "I'll be watching your career with great interest Uzumaki. Don't screw up, you've done well tonight, but I'm still watching you." It was half praise, and half warning.

Iruka smiled and ruffled his hair a bit. "I'll buy you some Ramen. Come on."

The boy's face lit up, and he rushed off with his now former teacher.

OooOOooOO

Ryu looked over his shoulder at Ken. "Wow. The kid has some sort of demon sealed inside him."

His compatriot looked pleased and they looked away from each other at nothing ahead of them. "Cool. That information could prove useful later."

Both men were looking straight ahead and not at each other as they said it. "Yes. Good call my friend. Excellent." Ryu stuck up his thumb and winked still facing nothing.

Ken looked at his partner. "Still, that is pretty awesome."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Team Seven.

Thanks to those who were kind enough to help me get a look at the first few chapters of Naruto.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto.

Part 2

Team 7

OooOOooOO

The Hokage frowned as he looked at the hooded figure in the photo, he could see part of the boy's face, and a few strands of blond hair poking out the front. He wasn't looking at the camera, and ended up with a good shot of what he was wearing. Black and dark gray pants, shirt, hand guards, and shoes over a dark brown hood. He'd taken his scarf off his face as requested, but still avoided showing his face to the camera.

It was the third photo the boy had given him, and it was the best yet. He didn't look at the boy standing in front of him and looked down at his rather empty profile. He liked Ramen, and wanted to be a true ninja was the only thing written. He'd been such a bright and lively boy at one time. "What happened to your forehead protector?"

It was painted black from the look of it. Naruto turned his eyes away and crossed his arms looking very closed. "Kind of hard to be sneaky with a big mirror strapped to your forehead. I took the shine out of it. It's still within the rules isn't it?"

The old man nodded and put the boy's profile down. "I suppose it is. I'd send you to get another photo, but I've a feeling it won't be any better than this. Care to explain? I'm going to accept it, I'm just curious." He put his hand on his cheek and leaned across the table looking rather tired of dealing with it.

Naruto's face flashed with a little surprise. "Photos are memories. I'm not supposed to be one if I'm a ninja. Right?"

The Hokage's frown deepened a little, but he didn't reply.

"Old man! Fight me!" A young boy jumped into the room through the door and charged the desk where the Hokage was registering the new Genin. The old man rolled his eyes and put his face into his hand. The boy tripped over his own feet and landed flat on his face. "Damn it! Who set a trap?"

Naruto remained in front of the chair with his arms crossed over his chest watching in silence. An older Shinobi he didn't know burst into the room just behind the boy. He was a tall thin man sporting a pair of shades and an unpleasant frown. "Are you all right? There is no trap."

The boy rushed up to the older boy in front of the chair. The man who had followed him in took notice of who was in the room and his eyes grew cold. The young boy screeched at Uzumaki. "It was you! You set the trap!"

Naruto chuckled as he noticed the cold eyed stare the man was giving him. "What if it was? Can you prove it?" He put his hand against the boy's forehead and smirked. "Cut it out. You were just clumsy."

The boy's tutor, Ebisu, spoke up. "Naruto! That's the Hokage's grandson! Let him go!"

"You admit to setting that trap! How am I clumsy?" The boy looked enraged, and was swinging out of his arms reach and pushing his face against the older boy's palm.

Naruto gave him a rather cheerful looking grin and bopped him on top of his head. "Well, you did fall for it. That was pretty clumsy of you wasn't it?" The boy stayed on his belly on the ground and rubbed on his head. It didn't hurt much, but he had felt it and was knocked down. "Be more careful, and maybe one day you'll get to be a ninja too."

Ebisu looked shocked. "No way!"

The boy stood to his feet and shook his head to clear it. "Who?"

The Hokage had a smirk on his face that was hidden behind his hand.

The boy scratched his head. "That guy. He's real strong, I can tell."

The old man looked a bit surprised. Ebisu snorted and looked unimpressed. "That fool is nothing of the kind. Come on, your Grandfather is working."

OooOOooOO

The young boy Naruto had met in his registration gasped in surprise. "Hey. Why the heck are you trying to follow me for anyway?" The kid whirled around with a shocked expression on his face. He had been peering down an alley, and had lost his target.

Naruto was leaning against the wall behind him with his arms crossed. He was looking down at him from what would have been just over his shoulder.

The boy almost jumped out of his skin. "Don't do that!"

The older boy gave a sigh. "Well, I am supposed to be a Shinobi now after all. What's with you?"

The kid growled and clenched his fist. "You defeated Grandpa with that enchanted poster on the wall outside the bathroom! Please, tell me this Jutsu!"

Naruto looked confused. "Enchanted poster? No. It was just a pretty naked girl." In a puff of smoke the girl in the picture was in front of him. "See. Like that. He's so old, his heart can't take it and he just keels over. Heh."

The boy looked amazed. "It's a powerful technique! You must show me, Boss! So I can defeat him!"

The shinobi shrugged. "I call it Sexy no Jutsu. I guess you could learn it. It can be very dangerous if properly used!" He looked quite serious and nodded.

OooOOooOO

"No." Naruto frowned and looked rather disgusted at the pudgy unattractive figure. "Sexier, smaller. You're supposed to look hot."

The boy frowned. "This is difficult, but I will prevail! I will defeat him!"

Uzumaki scratched his head and sighed. "Yeah. Why do you want to beat him anyway?"

His student sat himself down on a nearby log. "My name is Konohamaru. I was named after the village, but still, no one remembers my name. All they see is the Hokage's Grandson. I want the Hokage title because of that. No one sees me as me, and I'm sick of it."

His 'Boss' chuckled and shook his head. "So? You think a brat like you can just take something like that?"

The boy looked shocked. "What?"

Naruto looked at him with a dangerous looking grin on his face. "If you really want to be a great ninja, and become Hokage, no one can see you do it. If you want to be noticed, go be a Samurai, because you're no good as a Shinobi. You're just dead weight, bringing attention to your brothers and sisters where it doesn't belong. Our way, is not to be noticed." He stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "The life of a Shinobi is a life of service. Even for someone like the Hokage I've heard. Though, I dunno what the heck that old fart does to serve anyone."

The boy looked annoyed. "Grandpa isn't a servant!"

Uzumaki shrugged. "Yeah. That's what I said. That old jerk. Seems it's one of those, 'you'll get it when you're older' things." He looked annoyed as well. "I wonder if you just suddenly get stuff on your birthday at some point when you're older? I'm not really sure."

Konohamaru mulled on it as well. "Kind of like pubes? Maybe that's it?"

Naruto got a little wide eyed. "What are 'pubes'?"

The boy shrugged. "It's something that happens when you're older. Grandpa says you get more hair, and that stuff gets stiff sometimes, your voice goes screwy, and you have to get an oil change on your face or something, and something to do with girls I think?"

Uzumaki sat down and crossed his legs. "Hmmm. Well, maybe? Girls? I like girls now though. I think anyway. There are girls in my class that are pretty cute." He didn't want to get more specific, but a girl named Sakura Haruno popped into his mind as he thought about it.

Konohamaru shuddered. "Yeah. It's supposed to make you like em and stuff. Maybe that's when you 'get stuff'? I heard some older boys talking, girls can give you something. They never said what it was. They just said they were going to get some of whatever it is."

Naruto seemed to lose interest in the subject. "I guess we'll just have to wait until our next birthday and see what happens? Might take a while before either one of us figures it out." He decided to change the subject to something less confusing. "Yeah. Well, if you're going to be Hokage, you're gonna have to be stronger than me."

The boy frowned at him. "What?"

The older boy noticed Ebisu approaching. "Great. This guy again." He was giving him a cold hard glare, one he was familiar with.

The man hopped down from a nearby tree branch and called to Konohamaru. "Now, young Master, let's go home."

The boy turned to face him looking enraged. "No! I'm gonna defeat that old fart and take the Hokage title! I don't need wait on any stupid pubes to do it! I'm smart enough to understand without em!"

Naruto's face fell as he seemed to think about that. "Um. I guess. I'm still not sure what the heck that means."

Ebisu was confused and faced the older boy. "You! What have you been filling his head with?" He jabbed his finger at the Hokage's grandson. "You! A Hokage must be a master of all aspects of Shinobi. You've got to master a thousand different skills, and then finally..."

Konohamaru growled. "Take this Sexy no Jutsu!" The boy performed the Jutsu exactly as he should have and a pretty naked girl was standing in his place.

The man wasn't impressed. "What a perverted skill! It would never work on a gentleman like myself!" He grabbed the boy by his scarf and started to try dragging him off. Konohamaru fought back and pulled the other way. "Hang out with trash like him, and you'll become stupid! I'm your easiest shortcut to becoming Hokage!"

"Really? Are you sure about that?" The man froze and looked over his shoulder. A beautiful girl was leaning against his back in the nude. Another appeared at his side. "Yeah. I mean, you're saying you've got some sort of secret shortcut to becoming Hokage?"

Ebisu went pale and worked his jaw as two more grabbed his shoulders and gently plucked Konohamaru's scarf from his fingers. "Yeah, why didn't he use it himself then?" Both of them bounced with cheer and spoke at the same time. Another slid across his chest as two more grabbed his legs. "Yeah!" The unfortunate man's head whipped around and realized the entire clearing was full of buxom naked young girls who all looked the same. Blood shot from his nose, and he hit the back of his head on the dirt.

Naruto stood looking down at the man with a smirk on his face, and a wallet in his hand. "Heh. Dope."

Konohamaru was in awe. "Wow! That was great, Boss! You defeated my tutor!"

The older boy seemed to remember he was there. "Yeah. Well, remember this. Shinobi shouldn't look for acknowledgment. If that's what you're looking for, you're not doing it right." He looked ahead towards the village. "If you want to become Hokage, there aren't going to be any shortcuts. You've got to become a great Shinobi first, and I've got a head start."

The boy clenched his fist at the grinning Naruto. "One day, I'm going to challenge you for the title of Hokage! You're not my Boss anymore, from now on...we're rivals!" He turned and rushed away.

"I look forward to it." The older boy smirked and shook his head. "He's not so bad. Reminds me of how I used to be."

OooOOooOO

Ebisu growled as he patted down his clothes. He was standing at the Ramen booth searching for his wallet. "What the?" His eyes went wide. "N...no way!" His frantic pats slowed as a slow dawning came across his face. "It...it can't be." He'd gone very pale.

The man at the counter frowned. "What? Don't tell me someone lifted your wallet."

Ebisu flushed and gritted his teeth. "Yeah. Sorry. You know I'm good for it. I work for the Hokage, tutoring his son. I'll bring it..."

The man shrugged and smirked. "Forget about it."

The man pushed his glasses up his nose. "Thanks." He was still very pale. His weapons were gone, every last one of them, all his kunai knives, shuriken, darts, blowgun, a few sorted scrolls, flash powder. The only thing he had on him at all, was his uniform. "Impossible! I'm an Elite! How did? There's just no way that brat could have..."

OooOOooOO

Naruto chuckled as he unloaded a pile of weapons and assorted shinobi gear onto his floor just inside his door and dusted off his hands. "Heh. That jerk. Serves him right. Making fun of Sexy no Jutsu. Soon, all will know of it's true power!" Now he had 'Harem no Jutsu' as well.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting in the back corner of the class, in a shadowy corner, with only his head on top of his desk. He was sending a frown towards Sasuke Uchiha, and it got worse as Sakura Haruno sat down right beside him, and started trying to flirt with him. "That dope. I hate him." He muttered it under his breath, and even the two people next to him didn't notice him.

Sakura was hot, in his opinion. Most of the other boys seemed to think she was only average. There was something about her that caught his attention. He believed the appropriate term to use was that he wanted to bone her. He was pretty sure he did, but he wasn't exactly sure what bone would be involved, or what he would do with it. He wasn't even certain if he would be using one of his bones, or hers. He wanted some of that though. Whatever the hell 'it' was.

Iruka walked to the front of the class with a clipboard. "You will soon be given missions to help the village. You will all be split into three man teams, each with a Jounin instructor. You will listen to your Sensei to complete your missions. We did our best to balance each team's strength."

Naruto snorted as the class sounded surprised. He didn't know it, but it wasn't the shock to him that it was for everyone else. He was there, and it whatever he had to do to stay there was fine. "Whatever, anyone but Uchiha. Sakura would be nice. If I could get her pried off that jerk's side for a bit I could...um..." He wasn't sure what to do, but he'd figure it out.

Iruka read through some of the list, and called out his team before continuing on. "Team Seven. Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto's head dropped, Sakura cheered, and Sasuke was just as dead to the world as always. What a loser. To not be seen was one thing, but to sit in the open and act like no one sees you, and you can't see them was just plain prickishness. It was the worst case scenario in his mind. He kept his mouth shut and glared at the Uchiha boy. "Great. Gotta get rid of him."

Sakura was looking about the room. "Who the hell is Uzumaki Naruto?"

The blond boy almost fell off his seat.

Sasuke glanced over at her. "He's the wimpy emo kid in the back of the class dressed in all black. You know, the only one who failed the exam in class?" He jerked his thumb at Naruto's corner.

The girl looked over. "I don't see..." She knew everyone she could see. "Where?"

"The coward is probably hiding. He's not very good at anything, and nobody talks to him. Whenever there's trouble, he just disappears. I'm amazed he passed." Uchiha kept his dead eyed stare forward and his hands folded. "I'm probably stuck with him no matter who they put between us."

Naruto stayed silent, clutched at his arms and growled under his hood. "I'm gonna kick his ass."

"Iruka sensei said that the teams are supposed to be balanced." Sakura looked at Sasuke, being very pleased he was speaking to her. "So, you were the best in the class, so that makes him..."

Sasuke gave a nod and spoke in an even tone. "Dead last."

Naruto was hurting his own arms he was gripping them so hard and glaring ahead with his mouth shut. "You're going to suffer, Uchiha."

Iruka gave a small sigh. "You'll be introduced to your Jounin soon. Take a break until then." He knew how angry Naruto was, but Sasuke and Sakura couldn't tell. There wasn't much he could do about it, but he had a feeling Uchiha and Haruno were going to be getting into some sort of trouble soon.

OooOOooOO

Naruto chuckled as he pulled Sasuke through a window. He caught the boy by surprise, which wasn't much of one to him. The boy had been finishing up his lunch. "What the?" By the time Sasuke turned to see who it was, it was too late. He was being tied up by himself, his eyes went even wider as the familiar click of handcuffs sounded. His mouth was taped over before he could react.

He stayed on his side and glared at himself in anger as his own face grinned at him. Sasuke's face fell as his double dropped his pants, revealing a what almost looked like someone's little toe between what would seem to be his legs. His double hopped out the window and shrieked in a high pitched girlish way. "Eeek! Someone has stolen my pants. Nooo! My horrible secret revealed to all! Waaaaaahhhhh!"

Sasuke's struggles grew stronger and stronger as his face went red and his eyes wide. He tugged and tossed himself about in a rage. He struggled to call out and froze as he realized what he could hear.

"Sasuke-kun, I thought you might like to eat...AAAAAAAAA!" Haruno's voice came from outside.

"Noooo! The irritating girl knows now!" Sasuke's struggles slowed, he closed his eyes as the pressure grew. More and more voices were joining in the chaos. "Ah! The whole village! Oh no! Uh oh, stomach trouble...um...." Sasuke didn't want to know what was causing some of the noises he was hearing, the village was becoming much more aware of the problem by that point. It sounded like someone was spraying something about the ground and walls near the window. "The Mini-Rocket has been launched!"

Voices calling out his name, and laughter could be heard from below. "Say, isn't that Uchiha? What the hell is he doing? Gross! Are you kidding? That is so funny!"

The Uchiha boy fumbled with the needle between his fingers as he worked at the handcuff locks. His eyes became bloodshot as he tried to keep from rushing himself. He was desperate.

"Look! Through that window!"

Sasuke glared at his pants-less double as he hopped over him and turned about. "Hey! I found my pants! My embarrassment is finally over! Now the whole village knows my shameful secret though!" He turned and dashed off through the building.

The handcuffs and ropes fell away as the Uchiha boy freed himself, staggered to his feet and gave chase. He looked about and found himself looking at two shinobi. He frowned at them. "Hey. Did anyone else come out of here?"

One looked at the other and both shook their heads. "Just you kid."

The boy froze, he turned his head. Sakura Haruno was red as a beet, several other Genin were standing about snickering behind her. "Um, Sasuke...I uh..."

One of the several snickering boys spoke up as most of the group moved off and spread out. "See you later 'Mini-Rocket'."

Sakura turned very red, she looked very embarrassed, and rather speechless. She kept giving him glances. Her inner self was breathing a sigh of relief. "Whew. Better to find out now I guess. He's cute, but he's not -that- cute."

Uchiha growled and clenched his fist. "When I find out who that was, I'm gong to kill them." He glared at Sakura. "That wasn't me! Someone ambushed me, and used Henge no Jutsu to impersonate me."

The girl gasped. "What? Sasuke-kun, are you okay?"

The boy brushed her off. "When I find out..."

Sakura seemed saddened. "I'm sorry. I believe you Sasuke-kun, but, no one saw anyone but you here. They didn't come this way, and the only other way out of that place I saw was that window on the other side." Her inner mind was less sympathetic. "Yes! This is great! If all the other girls think he's really like that. I'll have him all to myself!" She didn't have to try too hard to fake feeling bad for him.

Sasuke gave a rough snort and seemed to calm. "It doesn't matter. I'm leaving. It's not that big a...what's that smell?"

Uchiha went rather pale as he rounded the corner, found several angry looking Jounin standing about a very large and spread out mess. "What the?"

"Well, it wasn't just that you didn't have pants and that it was...very small. You also had explosive diarrhea."

Sasuke's jaw dropped. "What?"

The girl was pink. "It looked like you were running around with your crotch forward, um...messing up the ground, and calling yourself a 'Mini-Rocket'."

He glared at her. "It wasn't me!" He dropped his pants. "See? I'm normal damn it."

Sakura flushed and backed away with a hint of a grin on her face. "Uh-huh." Inner Sakura cheered. "And now I'm the only one who knows! Oh! Sasuke! You have shared this tender secret with me!"

Sasuke shivered, turned his head, and realized the Jounin all looked mad at him. "Uh oh." He dashed around the corner and rushed off, leaving Sakura standing there.

The girl gave a heavy sigh and held her nose. "This is the weirdest day of my life. Where the heck is that teammate of ours anyway? I still don't know who the hell Naruto Uzumaki is." She shuffled off away from the scene as the Jounin rushed away after Sasuke. She finally had Sasuke where she wanted him. Weird or not, it was the best day of her life so far.

OooOOooOO

"Kakashi." The Hokage nodded at the Jounin instructor who was lifting a box of milk off an empty table.

"So, this is where Naruto Uzumaki lives?" The man had his forehead protector cocked over one of his eyes, and a mask covering his face. He seemed very relaxed and kicked at the pile of weapons by the door. "This milk went out of date a few days ago."

The old man puffed on his pipe. "Yes. He was at the bottom of his class. I think giving him to you is best. I've a nose for this sort of thing. Your team will also include Sasuke, of the Uchiha clan."

The Jounin looked over his shoulder and gave a sigh. "Yes, sir." He had a feeling there was something the Hokage wasn't mentioning.

OooOOooOO

Sakura frowned as she sat across from Sasuke near the door to the classroom. "Our Jounin Sensei is late." She turned to look at the figure sitting on the opposite side of the room. "So that's Uzumaki then?"

Sasuke turned his head towards the boy. "Yeah. That's him."

The boy in question was silent, and looked like he might be sleeping. His legs were kicked up on top of the desk he was sitting at, his arms were crossed, and his hood covered his lowered head. He didn't move or react like he could hear them.

The girl looked annoyed. "I wish I could just relax that way."

The dark haired boy shook his head. "Whatever."

The girl looked a bit annoyed with Naruto. "Is he just going to sit there? He hasn't said anything to either one of us yet."

"Fine by me." Uchiha sounded a bit annoyed that the girl was still talking. She didn't seem to notice.

Naruto turned his head and smirked at her. The girl flushed and turned her head towards the door. "Huh? He's awake?"

An unfamiliar shinobi walked through the door, only to have an eraser bounce off the top of his head and create a cloud of dust.

Sakura and Sasuke both looked surprised.

"Hey. Who did...?" The girl worked her jaw.

Kakashi looked at the pair on either side of him by the door, and over at the boy sitting on his own. Uchiha and Haruno both looked a bit surprised. Uzumaki was sitting on the other side of the room, looking like he hadn't been paying attention to anything before the man had entered. His hood turned to face him.

The Jounin seemed to smile at them and rubbed on his mask covered chin. "Um, how can I say this? My first impression is...I don't like you guys."

OooOOooOO

A short time later, the newly formed Genin team was sitting around their instructor on a balcony. They were outside, it was a beautiful day, and the three junior ninja were sitting in front of Kakashi. He was leaning against the railing and spoke to them all.

Sakura was looking a little uncomfortable between Sasuke and Uzumaki. She was leaning towards the Uchiha boy, and seemed a little creeped out by the shadowy figure she'd not gotten a clear look at yet. He kept his head low, and she'd not been able to get a good look at his face.

Kakashi got their attention when he started speaking. "All right. We'll introduce ourselves. Tell me your likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies. That sort of thing."

The girl hugged her knees. "You look kind of suspicious."

Naruto and Sasuke both looked away from him and didn't say anything.

The man gave a small sigh. "All right. I'll start then. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future? Hmmmm. I have lots of hobbies. All right, your turn. We'll start on the right."

Sakura looked a bit annoyed. "So, all he told us was his name."

Naruto grinned and the girl gasped. It was the first time she'd really seen him move his head up. "I like this guy." He stood up and dusted off his legs. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I like Ramen, and dreams are for sleeping."

Both his teammates looked over at him. It was the most he'd said that day to any of them.

"Who is this kid?" Sakura seemed unimpressed.

Sasuke snorted. "Guess it's my turn. I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I have lots of dislikes, but nothing I really like. I guess I can't really call it a dream, but I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan, and to kill a certain man."

Kakashi nodded. Sakura seemed to think it was very cool and impressive. Naruto reacted, more than he'd seen the boy react yet. He clawed at the dirt beside him and growled a bit as his head turned towards Uchiha.

Sakura started. "I'm Haruno Sakura. What I like is...um...the person I like is..."

The Jounin pretty much ignored her after hearing her name. She just became flushed and fluttered about her thoughts. Kakashi could almost imagine flowers and magic sparkles floating about in her head.

Naruto gave another unpleasant sounding grumble and shifted a bit further away from both of them.

The instructor looked over at him and then towards the group again. "Tomorrow, we begin our duties as Shinobi. We'll do something with just the four of us."

Sakura spoke up. "What's that?"

Kakashi focused his gaze on her. "Survival training."

This caught all three of them by surprise. "Survival training?" Even Naruto voiced his confusion.

"Yes. I will be your opponent." The instructor chuckled. "You're all going to freak out."

Sakura looked to be the most interested. "Freak out? Why?"

Kakashi leaned towards them. "Of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the academy. This training is a difficult exam, with a failure rate of sixty-six percent."

Naruto looked at his two companions and then back at the instructor. He gave a small shrug, Sasuke narrowed his eyes a little more, and Sakura looked shocked. The girl turned her head towards the silent Naruto.

"Feh." Uchiha didn't look worried.

Naruto seemed about as interested as he was. "Great."

Sakura was glaring daggers at the boy she didn't know. "What? I've got to make sure I stay with Sasuke!"

Uzumaki spoke up. "We graduated didn't we?" He was going to become a shinobi with or without Kakashi's help. He didn't care much, and kept giving irate glances at his teammates.

The instructor nodded. "Yes. That only gives you the chance to become Genin." He stood up and dusted off his legs."You'll have to show your real skills tomorrow, bring all the shinobi tools you have. Don't eat anything, or you might throw up." He held out a page to them. "The details are here. Don't be late."

OooOOooOO

Naruto sat in front of the door to his home with his arms crossed, looking rather bored. "Any tips for tomorrow?"

Ryu chuckled. "Nope. You're on your own."

Ken's voice seemed to agree. "Yeah. We're not going to help you cheat through your training. Sorry."

The boy nodded. "Whatever. I wonder what it's about?"

Ryu seemed to think on it a moment. "It's probably some sort of scam to trick you into trying your hardest. He's probably supposed to find out how strong you are."

Ken agreed again. "Yeah. So he knows where he needs to focus his training and all."

Naruto gave a small sigh. "Couldn't he just ask?"

Ryu chuckled as his voice faded. "Would you tell him?"

The boy stood up and walked into his home. "Point taken."

OooOOooOO

Sakura Haruno stood next to Sasuke alone. The boy looked annoyed. Sakura was chatting with him, despite his lack of responses. The girl had a huge grin on her face and was glad to be alone with him.

The Genin kunoichi spoke up. "Our instructor is late."

The boy beside her snorted. "So is Uzumaki."

The pink haired girl grinned and nodded. "Yeah." She was just glad to be alone with him, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Actually, he's been sitting right over your head the whole time. Good morning." Kakashi waved as he walked up to them looking cheerful.

Both children looked up, finding a leg hanging down from a tree branch just over their heads. Naruto looked relaxed, and hopped down behind and between them. Much like their instructor, he had a scarf over his face. He spoke to both of his fellow Genin. "Kakashi Sensei wasn't late. He's been here for a while now, watching us from the brush line over there." The boy nodded his head towards a row of bushes about twenty yards away.

Kakashi glanced at him, put a timer on a nearby stump, and started it. "Okay. It's set for noon." The children looked on and didn't speak. "Here are two bells. Your task is to take them for me before the time is up."

Naruto snorted and looked away. Uchiha and Haruno both tensed up and glared at the man. The instructor seemed to notice that Uzumaki looked very relaxed. Kakashi continued his explanation. "The one who doesn't get a bell, gets no lunch. In fact, I'll tie you to a stump and eat it right in front of you."

"So, that's why he didn't want us to eat." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

The instructor continued. "There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump. If you don't get a bell you fail. You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill. You may use shuriken and kunai knives."

Sakura expressed a bit of worry. "But, you'll be in danger!"

Naruto snorted. "Yeah. Right. You really think you could kill him? Don't be stupid."

The girl's head whipped around and glared at the rather cold looking figure. Naruto wasn't looking at either one of his fellow students. "You think you can?"

He turned his head away from her. "You're missing the point I think."

"What? How dare you! You jerk!" The girl's forehead pulsed as veins poked out as she became enraged.

Kakashi gave a small sigh. "Yes well, those who have the least skill, often bark the loudest. You're awful confident for someone who graduated at the bottom of his class."

Sakura glanced at Uchiha and thought to herself. "If only two of us can pass, I'd better make sure it's myself and Sasuke."

She didn't notice Naruto take notice of the look on her face and frown.

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Dead last at that."

Naruto turned his back on them all and fumed. "Fine. We'll see which of us gets a bell before we start talking about who's a loser and who isn't."

The girl growled at him and looked confident. "No way that coward is gonna beat me! I've got my future with Sasuke assured!"

Uchiha stood with his arms crossed and said nothing.

"Well, we'll see how well you do. Begin!" Kakashi relaxed as the children vanished.

OooOOooOO

Naruto gave a small sigh as he stretched his arms and put them behind his head. He was sitting on a tree branch, well hidden, and watching Sakura and Sasuke lay about on the ground in the bushes. He said nothing, and waited.

Kakashi stood in the center of the clearing. "The most important thing for a shinobi is hiding yourself." He glanced over to where Sakura and Sasuke were hiding in the bushes, on opposite sides of him. "They're hidden very well. I've still not spotted Uzumaki. Where the hell is he?" His eyes searched about the clearing, looking for his third student, the other two were waiting for an opening. "Did he leave? I've heard he's a bit of a coward. Didn't seem the type for that though. He's here. Uzumaki Naruto, very interesting." He could hear the two Genin he knew about gasp as he put his hand into his pocket. "I wonder how long I'll have to wait for the deadline to draw them out?" He pulled out a copy of 'Come Come Paradise' and sat down in the middle of the clearing to wait.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke growled. "Great. He brought a book. I can't stay here all day. Uzumaki has vanished, no surprise there. So it looks like it's going to have to be my move."

Naruto, who was right behind him, smirked. He didn't stay in one place much, his tutors had instilled the importance of being able to move unseen by one's target. They had taught him patience, and how to manipulate things in his favor. He slid away, Sasuke was working himself up to make his move, and never noticed him.

A moment later, he was behind Sakura. He frowned at her, she was pretty, but she'd been a bit of a brat as well. He was hanging on the side of a tree, just over her and watching the field where the instructor sat. He needed Kakashi to be moving and occupied, and he had a feeling Sasuke alone wouldn't do the job.

"Careful Sasuke." Sakura was worried. She could see her classmate moving up behind the instructor with a kunai in his grip. He was prowling forward, almost like a cat, stalking the man.

Kakashi's eyes moved to the right as he turned the page in his book.

Naruto jumped from his perch, threw two kunai as he landed behind Sakura, and kicked her in the rear, sending her stumbling out of her cover. She also shrieked in surprise, and looked on in shock as both weapons took the instructor dead in the side of his head.

Sasuke's jaw dropped as the hunk of wood with two kunai embedded in it fell over in front of him. "What? She gave me up? That little bitch!"

The girl's head turned towards him. "It wasn't me!"

The boy was busy as he turned and slashed. Kakashi backed away with ease, and blocked a flurry of slashes, punches, and kicks. Sasuke committed to a punch, but his opponent was gone. A moment later he was on his back, with Kakashi pinning him down.

Uchiha growled as he glared at Sakura. "You need one of those bells yourself you know. Don't expect me to look out for you after you gave me up!"

Kakashi spun around, slashing with his kunai. He jumped back and looked surprised, the confused. "What the?" There was nothing there. Sakura rushed forward, realizing he was thrown off for some reason.

His arm moved up and blocked a kick as she assaulted him. She liked using her legs, and the bulk of her attacks were kicks of some sort. She spun around in the air a few times as she launched herself at him. A soft push from his palm into her belly landed her on the ground. She frowned at him and rubbed the back of her head for a moment. He tossed a Kunai knife away from either of his students, and it impacted the side of a tree on the other end of the clearing seeming to accomplish nothing.

Sasuke noticed he seemed to be ignoring them. "What is he up to?" He knew he needed to keep pressing. His legs pumped as he rushed towards him. He rushed at the man's back, and ended up punching Sakura dead in the face. He didn't give it a second glance as he spun into a kick aimed at the Jounin's head.

OooOOooOO

Sakura was down, out cold. A Genjutsu victim. The result of seeing a vision of Sasuke with mortal wounds. Kakashi was in control of the battle of course. He'd separated the pair easily, after getting bored with the pair's strategy of wearing him out, one after the other.

The Uchiha boy was glaring at the girl on the ground. Kakashi was reading his book against the trunk of a tree. "Genjutsu, a form of hypnotism, she'd fall for that. I'm not like her though."

The instructor turned his page again. "Say that after you've got a bell, Uchiha. The village's most powerful clan. This should be interesting." Kakashi put his book away and stood facing the Uchiha boy.

Sasuke charged forward, throwing out powerful and fast blows that were all blocked. This time, it took a little effort from the Jounin to hold the strikes back.

The pair jumped apart, Sasuke throwing knives and shuriken at the older ninja.

The younger ninja took to the air, throwing punches and kicks, while making grabs for the dangling orbs on the man's uniform. Each time, he missed.

OooOOooOO

Sakura Haruno's eyes snapped open for the second time that day. The last thing she remembered, was finding Sasuke's severed head on the ground. She turned and saw the boy sitting next to her. She frowned and turned up her nose, he'd hit her about six times that day. It didn't even slow him down once.

The timer had expired, and they both had their heads hung low.

Both of them had failed.

Kakashi crossed his arms and looked at the pair. He was about to speak up, but Naruto Uzumaki jumped down on top of the stone between the meals with a grin on his face.

He looked between the other two Genin and grinned. "Game's over then is it?"

"Where have you been?" The hooded boy realized that question was coming from three places at once.

He shrugged. "I've been here all day, winning this little game of his."

"Have you got a bell?" Kakashi leveled his gaze on the boy.

"No." Naruto crossed his legs, and shook his head.

"Then how do you figure you won?" The instructor looked annoyed.

The Uzumaki boy seemed pleased with himself. "Because both of them have bells in their pockets. You've been carrying around two rocks tied to some string for most of the day. You kept hearing them, because they were nearby, so you didn't think anything of it."

Kakashi was looking at the rocks hanging from the strings on his fingers. "Huh?"

"They've both got bells, and I have to go back to the academy, right? I'd just as soon get rid of these two losers anyway." The black clad figure jerked his thumb towards Sasuke. "Mr. 'Avenger' here, the minute his duty gets in the way of his revenge he'll stab the whole village in the back. I'd rather not be the one standing next to him when it happens. She's more interested in finding a boyfriend than being a ninja. He punched her in the face like six times, and she's still trying to flirt with him now. Look."

Sakura went red and took her eyes off Sasuke's jawline and neck to glare at him. "What?"

Naruto looked down at Sasuke. "I'll take my chances next year. I'm going to be a great shinobi. The Uchiha clan won't be the strongest in the village forever. Someday, it will be the Uzumaki clan."

The pink haired girl gasped. That was...cool. "Who the hell is this guy again?" She looked up at Kakashi.

The teacher wasn't moving, and just looked at the blond boy squatting over the food. "Explain how you did this."

"When Sasuke made his move, I forced Haruno out of cover and into the fight." Naruto shrugged. "I hung out nearby, waited for the fight to get near me, switched the bells for those two rocks. I kept following the fight, and slipped the bells onto these two when you knocked them down close to where I was. After that, I just hung back and waited for the timer to run out. If I'd told you we got the bells sooner, you'd have turned it around and told us we had to keep them until time runs out."

The Jounin nodded. "I see. You forced them to work together. They both forgot about you, and each saw a bell of their own. Clever. Once you stopped influencing things, they fell apart."

Naruto seemed surprised. "Huh? Really? I guess that's sort of how it worked. I'm not very good with that sort of thing really." He pulled his hood off and grinned. "It was fun though. Challenging me to steal something was a bad idea. You weren't expecting any of us to get our hands on those."

Kakashi scratched his head. "I guess you've seen through my little ruse one way or another." His real thoughts were another matter. "I'm gonna have to talk with the Hokage about this one. How can this be? I've never seen anyone so young so advanced. Bottom of his class indeed. How could anyone miss this? What the hell is going on? Who is this kid? Where did he learn all this?"

Sakura looked confused. "So um, Sasuke and I, pass, right?" She jingled her bell.

The Uchiha boy had been staring at the bell in his palm in shock for quite some time. His fingers closed around it in a fist when the girl said it.

"Yeah. Well, you ain't tying me to no stumps if I didn't. I'm gonna go get some Ramen." The blond boy pulled his hood back over his head.

"No need Uzumaki. Why didn't you just keep the bells yourself?" The man cocked his head and scratched at his skin as he approached the stone.

The boy looked up at him and grinned. "Huh? I can pass that stupid exam at the academy no problem now. I could never get past the Bunshin no Jutsu. I'm gonna be a true shinobi, a servant, a weapon, and a shadow."

Kakashi nodded. "You understand that means being part of a team."

"Yeah. I work well with others. Better than that dork Sasuke. I'm gonna get you for slappin her around later on, Mr. Mini-rocket. Heh." Naruto was more experienced than anyone there, including him, realized. Some of the pranks on the village he'd been a part of were quite elaborate, and required more than one man, or a coordinated effort on more than one front.

Kakashi gave a heavy sigh. "I think I get it now." Naruto appeared to be some sort of shinobi genius, but he was very immature. It was almost like he didn't know it, despite the fact that someone seemed to let him in on it at some point. "Who trained you?" Kakashi looked down at the boy.

"Huh? You don't know Iruka Sensei?" The blond kid looked up at him, and hopped over Sasuke as he attacked. The Uchiha boy ended up tackling Sakura. He almost ended up lips first on her face, but jerked to a stop just short. Naruto had grabbed the back of his shirt and tossed him aside. Leaving behind one annoyed and flustered girl. "Quit bein a jerk. If you try and stab me in the back, I'm gonna be the one who walks away."

Kakashi nodded. "I know enough to realize you didn't learn all that from him."

Naruto chuckled. "I thought everyone knew. I've got two invisible friends. They're teaching me how to be invisible too. They aren't gonna talk to you if yer not good enough to find em on yer own. I already told the Hokage and everything."

Everyone was looking at him with wide eyes.

Kakashi gave a nod. "You've passed. You're the first ones ever. Beginning tomorrow, Team Seven begins it's duty." He turned away, he needed to have a chat with the Hokage about this. Naruto's victory was inconvenient, now he had to write some sort of stupid speech to get them to learn the lessons they were supposed too. He was going to have a tougher time with the Uzumaki boy than he'd thought. "The weirdest possible place." What the hell was wrong with Iruka for failing this kid two times? Something was going on with Naruto Uzumaki, and he now had plenty of time to figure it out.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: A little chat about Naruto.


	3. Chapter 3

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto.

Part 3

A stone cold killer.

OooOOooOO

Kakashi stood in the Hokage's chambers with his arms crossed over his chest. "We need to talk." Iruka was standing in the corner with his arms crossed looking on over the conversation.

The old man was peering over several scrolls. He didn't seem very surprised and looked up at the Jounin. "About what?"

"Naruto." The boy's Jounin instructor seemed calm and serious.

"What has he done now?" The old man gave a small sigh.

"He beat me."

The Hokage nodded. "They are the first group to pass your little test. I admit..."

The Jounin interrupted and shook his head. "No. You don't understand. He beat me. If' he'd wanted me dead, I'm not so sure I'd be standing here now. I never even saw him do it. How did Iruka fail him? Is he incompetent? I'd say he's the strongest Genin I've ever seen."

The boy's former instructor pushed himself out of his lean and uncrossed his arms. "What?"

Kakashi ignored him and leaned over the Hokage's desk. He looked the old man dead in his eyes. "Naruto Uzumaki isn't some green kid. You know about my test. I had to get it approved. He got both bells away from me, I never saw him do it. I didn't even know until..."

The Hokage returned his glare with a frown on his face. His attention was off the scrolls on his desk and he had his hands folded just under his nose. "He what?"

Iruka snorted. "You were careless then. He's not very smart."

The old man turned his eyes towards the Academy instructor. "Do you really think that's true?"

The youngest shinobi in the room shrugged. "I can bring you his scores if you'd like. I tested him fairly. I've still got his records."

Kakashi shook his head. "I've seen them. I went over all three of their records. What Naruto Uzumaki knows, he didn't learn from you."

Iruka started to look a bit angry. "What are you saying?"

The Hokage shook his head and closed his eyes. "Then where did he learn them? He's got no one."

The Jounin stood tall and crossed his arms again. "His two invisible friends aren't as imaginary as you seem to think. Something is going on with that boy. He could have killed me, a Chunin like Iruka would stand no chance against him. He's not a Genin level shinobi. He's far more skilled. In fact, I'm not sure how good he really is."

The boy's former instructor frowned and turned his head away. "He's immature, his control of Chakra is poor, and the only thing he seems to be any good at is Taijutsu, and he's shown no real exceptional talent there."

The Hokage gave a heavy sigh. "Kakashi is correct. The boy is a genius. Who do you think our village's invisible prankster is? We can't prove anything, but I've known for some time. We've not been able to catch him in a year and a half."

The Jounin nodded. "I see. I don't think he's acting alone. There is someone else involved."

The old man nodded. "I suspect that is true. However, we can prove nothing. You are welcome to present any evidence you find on just who these 'invisible friends' of of his are."

Iruka gasped. "What?" His eyes grew wide and he looked worried. "If that's true, the village could be in danger!"

The Hokage gave a heavy sigh. "What do you expect us to do? Uzumaki has told me of this. Not even he could bring them to us if they do not want to be found. I've seen nothing that indicates that they intend to harm our village."

Kakashi nodded. "Can we take that risk?"

The old man lit his pipe and leaned back in his seat. "Yes, we can."

Both men looked shocked at that.

Iruka stomped his foot and balled up his fist. "What? Are you joking?"

Kakashi shook his head. "You can't be serious." He turned his eyes towards the door. "Uzumaki should be questioned. If he's fallen under the influence of a spy...it could mean..."

The Hokage looked at them both from under the brim of his hat. "I'm afraid that I am. Do you intend to try and capture Uzumaki? It would take but a moment of carelessness, and he would vanish. Plus, we would risk angering two powerful shinobi, who no one in this village has even had the skill to spot once. For what? A threat that has not presented itself as anything more than a minor annoyance?"

Kakashi looked a little pale. "What? What should I do? Keep him with me, and make him even stronger than he is now? Possibly give away our villages secrets to..."

The old man grinned at him. "Yes. That's exactly what you'll do." He seemed to settle in his chair. "If these invisible friends of his are real, they've had plenty of time, and more than enough skill to discover such things. If it is true, it is already too late."

The Jounin staggered back a step in surprise. "Huh?" Iruka looked just as shocked, but said nothing and hung his head.

The Hokage puffed on his pipe and blew a cloud of smoke into the air as he sighed. "You're not seeing what this could mean for our village. Whoever his friends are, they are teaching him this skill. Do you understand?"

Iruka hung his head with his eyes wide. "You mean?"

"One day, he too will become a Jounin. I have little doubt of this. He will take students and train them, just as Kakashi will train him. As he said, his control of Chakra is poor, he is immature, and unexperienced. He has no friends, no family. He will remain a Genin for now. He needs the training, however great his skill is. He needs teammates, to help him grow." The old man stood up and put his palms on his desktop. "He told me he wishes to become a great Shinobi. I may one day regret it, but I see no reason not to believe him. To put it in his own words, 'a servant, a weapon, and a shadow'."

His former instructor nodded as his features calmed. "He knows most of the village doesn't like him, yet..." The boy's words on the night the traitor Mizuki was captured came to him again. He said them out loud and looked as he looked at both the men in the room with a strange smile forming on his lips. "Maybe I don't care much for a lot of em, but I'll never become a ninja, or get their respect if I turn into a traitor..."

Kakashi seemed to think on that. "I see. He works well on a team already. Much more than I expected from a Genin. He's very observant. He noticed when Sakura gave Sasuke away. I heard her muttering in the bushes while he was trying to sneak up on me. I'm pretty sure I gave myself away." He nodded. "He used them both, but did it by forcing them to work as a team. He tricked them into doing it, though he claims he didn't realize it."

Iruka seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

The Jounin looked at his former instructor. "I was waiting for them to make their move, reading a book. Uchiha was sneaking up on me from behind, and he forced Haruno out of her cover when he realized I had noticed him. I was using the book to appear inattentive, and turned the page before I'd finished reading it. I'm pretty sure it's what gave me away. I wasn't expecting a Genin, especially one who was at the bottom of his class, to be so observant."

The Hokage nodded. "Yes. Well, we can't prove that his new friends are anything but imaginary. They've left no signs of their presence in the village, or the area around it that we've discovered. I suspect they appeared about two years ago. A long time, for someone who intends to do us harm to wait. I do not suspect they are enemies, but I also don't think we should let our guard down. We do not know them, or their intent. Uzumaki seems to be the best way to keep an eye on them. We have no other leads, and forcing his hand could prove more dangerous than you two yet realize." He puffed on his pipe and looked back and forth between the pair in the room with him. "I've sent Oinin to seek this mysterious 'pair' out on several occasions. They've found nothing in the village, or in the surrounding wilderness to indicate they even exist. Even if they are real, there is little we can do if we cannot find them. Teaching the young Uzumaki what they have, only serves to lessen my concern. Though, I admit it is still there."

Both men were standing in a relaxed posture. Kakashi nodded, and Iruka turned away from them both.

Kakashi rubbed on his chin. "That worries me."

The Hokage turned his eyes back down to the scroll again. "Team Seven will begin taking D ranked missions tomorrow. There is little we can do but watch, and wait."

The Jounin gave a short nod. "Understood. I suppose I should get some sleep then."

Iruka frowned at him, but seemed to agree. "I'm worried too. Maybe I should talk with Naruto about it?"

OooOOooOO

"Huh?" Naruto had a mouth full of noodles as he looked up at his former instructor. "What about them? They won't talk to you if you can't find them. Not much I can do about it."

Iruka had a frown on his face. "They are real though? What do they do? What is it they are teaching you?"

The boy slurped, chewed, and swallowed before looking up at the man again. "I'm learning to be invisible. I'm not supposed to talk about training with anyone else. It's secret stuff."

The Chunin instructor's face became a little angry. "What? We don't know who they are Naruto. It could be dangerous for the village. We need to find out more about them."

The boy's face fell a little. "Yeah. Well, you don't want to piss them off. Look, if you can find em, they'll talk to you. If you keep bugging me about em, you'll regret it though. I ain't sayin nothin more. Sorry. It would be bad for me if I did."

The man looked angry. "They, threatened you?"

His former student shook his head negative. "Nah. You don't wanna upset em. They'll get you good. Not all the pranks and stuff you think I did were really me. Ya get it? They look out for me, cause I'm their student." The young blond in the shadowy hood smirked at his instructor. "If you push it too far, stuff will start goin wrong around you. Trust me, you won't like it. If you wanna know about em, you gotta find em on your own. I can't help you anyway. Even I don't know where they hang out. They come to me most of the time, or tell me where to meet em. I don't really see them much myself, but I know they're around."

Iruka nodded, leaned back a little in his stool, and fell flat on his back as it gave way. His eyes were wide in shock as he pushed himself up. The screws that bolted the seat into the ground in front of the counter were undone and scattered about the floor around his toppled stool. It wasn't broken, but had been taken apart at the base. His eyes turned up towards the boy finishing up a bowl of Ramen.

"What the? You all right?" The owner of the Ramen booth was looking down at his fallen customer. "Again? I just had that seat repaired! It's brand new!"

Naruto shrugged and grinned at him. "Don't say I didn't warn ya. If you keep askin me about em, this'll keep happenin. I'll tell ya what I told that old fart when he asked." He hopped down and helped the sweating and rather pale man to his feet. "They told me ta tell anyone who asks, find em on yer own, and they'll answer anything you wanna hear." He dusted off his former instructor's shoulder. "I ain't gonna be able to do anything ta help ya out either. Yer on your own." A slap to the man's shoulder and a cheerful wave was the last thing Iruka remembered seeing. "Thanks for the Ramen, Sensei."

The Chunin looked over his shoulder, and the boy was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't that surprising, but now, it bothered him more than ever. "What the hell? Who? What kind of...?" The booth had at least three Jounin sitting around him, and two other Chunin. No one looked like they had seen anything more than him taking a tumble. He looked about the street. Several other Shinobi could be seen walking about nearby. None of them appeared to have seen a thing, and no sign that his former student was ever there could be seen. "What the hell?"

"How does this keep happening?" The booth owner gave a small sigh as he looked over the stool and collected the screws. "This is the third time this month."

"No one has ever seen anything?" Iruka looked over his shoulder.

The business owner sighed and scratched his head. "Not once. It's like someone is unscrewing them. There's no way though. The last time, it was that Jounin Ebisu. I can't figure out what's causing it. These screws are warded against prank Jutsu." He held one of them up, it was about four inches long, and had characters carved onto the bolt head. "There's no way someone is sneaking up and unscrewing them by hand without anyone noticing. I mean look at who is sitting here now. It's usually like this here. It's not been the same seat every time either. I can't figure it out. I replaced the flooring two months ago, and the threads aren't worn or anything. It's so weird."

Iruka swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. Weird." He put some money on the counter and turned to walk away. "I'll be seeing you."

The owner looked a bit worried. "Sorry about this."

The Academy instructor gave him a nervous looking grin. "Don't worry about it. It's no big deal."

OooOOooOO

A week later...

The blond boy sighed as he looked at the Shogi board in front of him and pushed a piece forward. He was sitting in the woods with the board set up on a tree stump. In his hand was a raw rabbit leg, he was taking bites out of it and wiping the blood off his lips with a paper towel as he mulled over the game.

Ken was sitting across from him and made another move. "That's kind of gross kid."

The boy shrugged. "Yeah. I can tell he likes it though. Still won't talk to me, just growls and stuff."

Ryu was looking on at the game while leaning on a nearby tree trunk. "Yes. Well, he's not a pet, and you can't expect to boss him around either. You're stuck together, so it will make things easier. I'm guessing he doesn't like people much, so don't expect much in the way of conversation from him either. He'll probably be pretty rude if he does speak at all."

Ken nodded. "Hmm. Yes. Most demons are like that." He made his move and waited while the boy peered at the board and nodded.

Naruto gave a small sigh. "Yeah, well. It is pretty gross I guess. Still, it's not horrible or anything. I kind of got used to it. He likes hunting them too."

The Shinobi sitting across from him nodded. "Killing them, he enjoys that too. You shouldn't be too trusting. He is a demon, and not a pet. Listen to him too much, and you'll become a monster. He needs to understand that you're only willing to go so far to make him feel more comfortable. You're stuck with him as much as he's stuck with you."

Ryu nodded in agreement. "Yes. This sealing jutsu is new to us. We had creatures similar to him where we come from. It's not impossible to form relationships and speak with them though. They aren't very friendly even then. It is possible to be civil with them though, and it's best to be respectful."

Ken smirked as the boy made his move. "Hmm. You're improving. Don't go trying to boss that thing around, and don't try to give him commands. He'll never be tame, and you can bet he'll try to trick you if he can. If you treat him well, he may decide to help you if you need it one day. Don't go counting on it."

Naruto grinned and wiped his mouth. He licked at the fur on the dead animal's leg to clear another space to bite. "You two seem to know a bit about this sort of thing."

Ken shook his head. "Not really. We've never dealt with something like that ourselves. There are others where we come from, in the past, who have made agreements with their kind."

Ryu smirked. "You've lost, Ken. He should head back."

The other Shinobi was gone when Naruto looked up from the game. Both of them had vanished. He started putting the game away and sighed. "Yeah. I've got another 'mission'." The boy didn't sound pleased. "Probably more potato digging, or babysitting. It's pretty boring."

"You'll miss it when your missions become dangerous." Ryu's voice said from the shadows.

Ken's voice agreed. "He's right. Enjoy the easy work while you still can. Stop screwing with that Uchiha kid so much. The Haruno girl too. They are your team, and you should start helping them out."

Naruto flushed. "What? Are you kidding? The guy is a..."

"Yes, we know." Ken chuckled. "I've got to admit, it's been entertaining. Replacing his soap with that skunk scented bar was funny. So was giving that girl the hairbrush with the hooks hidden in the bristles."

The boy nodded and cheered up a bit. "Yeah. Filling her pillow case with Marshmallows was fun too. Not to mention those shrinking shorts I gave that jerk Sasuke. He couldn't walk right for days."

Ryu chuckled from the darkness. Naruto still couldn't spot them, despite the fact they were nearby. "Yes. However, these two, they are your team. It's time you got to know them. They should be respected, and you should do your best to get along."

It caught the young shinobi by surprise. "Huh?"

Ken sighed. "He's right. You need to help them out. Those you must serve with, they are those you must know, and care for. Your lives might one day depend upon each other. They are your brother and sister. These are the people you should know best. Your allies, your friends, your family."

Uzumaki growled a little. "That jerk Sasuke, he's not my..."

Ryu's voice was a little firm, but not angry. "They should be. Your fellow shinobi must be respected, and you should do your best to help them when you can. Especially those two, they are your team. You must care for them."

Ken agreed in a firm tone as well. "That man, Kakashi, he is right. A shinobi who does not look after his companions, is lower than trash. In our line of work, in our way, all a Shinobi has, are his companions, and his duty."

The boy's face fell, and his eyes softened as he looked at the ground. "I..."

Ryu was smiling, Uzumaki could tell from his tone. "These two, they may be your only chance for real friends. We like you, but we are teachers. The ones you work with, they are your peers. You will need them one day. Such strength is often more important than personal power or skill."

Naruto's eyes went wide. It was obvious he was confused. "Huh? I don't understand."

Ken's tone was light as he answered. "What is it you fight for? What is it you will protect? Yourself alone? Is that all you care for? If that is true, you will never know real strength."

The Genin pulled his hood over his head and started walking away. "I...I still don't get it."

Ryu's voice faded as he left the edge of the wood for his home. "That is something, you will only understand in time. Stop hiding from them all the time."

Ken's voice grew weaker as he spoke and left as well. "He's right. Being invisible is fine, but you must have a connection. Even we had those who knew of us, our fellow shadows. It's hard to get laid if no one knows you. You'll regret it when your older if you vanish from the world completely now."

Naruto's nose scrunched up a bit. "L-laid? Perverts. Still, I guess..."

OooOOooOO

"Hey."

Sakura Haruno gasped and clutched at her chest. Potatoes tumbled across the ground at her feet as she landed on her rear.

Sasuke frowned. "Finally decided to show up and help with the work did you? Every time we've got to do anything, you vanish." The boy sounded annoyed and dumped an armload into a wheelbarrow in front of him.

The Uzumaki boy's eyes turned to glare at him.

"What are you doing? Scaring me like that you lazy jerk?" Sakura dumped what was left in her arm into the same wheelbarrow as Sasuke. She frowned at the shadowy boy and flushed as she stepped back away from him.

Kakashi seemed to appear in front of them. He had his place kept in the book that was against his hip with his thumb. "Now, don't go scolding him."

The Uchiha boy looked over his shoulder at him. "What? We've been out helping with the harvest for a week now! Babysitting brats, and finding stupid pets. He's..."

"He's done just as much as you. In fact, he usually does more. Sakura took three loads of rice from the fields yesterday, and you collected five. Uzumaki turned in six." Kakashi seemed cheerful and put his hand on the black clad Naruto's shoulder. "He's not been slacking off at all. You've just not seen him."

Uchiha and Haruno both looked at their instructor with wide eyes. "Huh?"

"I've been doing missions with you every day. What? Did you think that missing dog fell out of the sky into your arms yesterday, Uchiha? Maybe it climbed a tree and decided to ambush you?" The Uzumaki boy's voice was quiet, and he glared at the raven haired boy in an annoyed way. "Just because you can't see me, doesn't mean I'm not around. I've heard what you've been saying about me you know. Both of you."

Sakura turned a little pink. "Wh-what?"

Sasuke didn't look impressed. "You've been spying on us then? Listening in?"

Naruto snorted. "What if I have? I'm supposed to be around you know. You just didn't think I was here. So you spoke as if I wasn't."

The Uchiha boy clenched his fist and looked away. "You're still nothing but a coward. Why show your face now? Finally got the nerve to face me?"

The blond hooded boy shook his head. "Why would I be scared of you? If I wanted to hurt you, you'd never even see it coming."

Sasuke growled and tossed the potatoes he'd picked up from the ground at his feet back down. "What? Just try it you..."

Kakashi gave a heavy sigh and grabbed his shoulder. "Calm down. You two are both working on your second load. Naruto has already done four today. Strictly speaking, he's ahead of you both."

Sakura gasped. "What? He's a jerk, and he was at the bottom of our class!"

The Uchiha boy glared up at Kakashi. "No way! I'm not inferior to that loser! He couldn't even pass the stupid exam. He just got lucky."

"Five minutes."

They all looked over at Naruto. He had his back to them, with his arms crossed over his chest.

Kakashi gave a sigh as his one visible eye drooped a little.

Sakura was confused and annoyed. "What? Five minutes for what?"

"I'll finish the rest of this field in five minutes." Naruto wiped the side of his nose with his thumb. They were halfway done, and still had about a half a football field sized area to go.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. I'd like to see that."

"No way!" Sakura seemed confident.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." The blond boy spoke the words low enough that no one heard it. A split second later, the entire remaining field was full of black hoods and shirts with scarves over their faces.

The two children looked on with slacked jaws as each clone started working on a small patch, each one collecting three to five potatoes. Kakashi stood behind his two students and cocked his head a little as he watched.

"So. That's how he was able to..." The instructor muttered it as his two students watched their teammate work all over the place at once. The battle for the bells made a lot more sense now. He'd positioned himself all around the battle, and waited for an opportunity for each part of his plan to occur with a different clone. There were hundreds of him, and at that moment, each one was working with the others in a team to finish the job.

They all vanished after taking the remaining loads to the edge of the field, where still more of him were loading them onto the waiting horse drawn cart. In a little under five minutes, the whole field had been completed.

"N-no way!" Sakura had her jaw hanging as she stood in a sort of frozen shock.

Sasuke was glaring at the filled cart and clenching his fist. "..."

Naruto was standing by himself next to the cart. Each clone had vanished as it's part of the job was completed. "We're done now."

Kakashi nodded. "I suppose we're done then. Take the rest of the day off and relax. I'll see you all tomorrow." He looked down at Naruto and gave him a cheerful expression. "I should scold you, but I'll let it go this time. Jutsu like that for this kind of job is a bit of a waste."

"Show off." Sasuke growled and glared at the boy.

Naruto nodded. "Just this once, to prove a point."

Sakura seemed annoyed as well. "What? What point?"

"You're not better than me, and I'm not scared of you. I suppose we're a team, and I should try to get along. After all, we'll be depending on each other. We won't have such easy work forever you know. Best enjoy it while it lasts." He gave them a grin and pulled his hood off his head.

Sasuke looked away, and Sakura seemed a bit flushed. Neither one of them looked at him and shuffled away.

Naruto gave a small sigh and waved at Kakashi as he moved off towards the village himself. "Jerks."

Kakashi watched him move off, not taking his eyes away as he stayed quiet. "That kid is something else. I've got to wonder though..." He smiled a little. "Why he decided to just show himself today. He's not done that before." Once he'd gotten his orders, he usually went out of sight and didn't show up again until the job was done. It left Sakura and Sasuke feeling like they'd done all the work themselves. The girl spent most of her time trying to catch the Uchiha boy's attention, and Sasuke ignored her and kept to himself for the most part. They both seemed to get a bit annoyed that he'd never scolded Naruto for what they saw as slacking off.

"Maybe I don't need to talk with him about it?" He'd been planning on getting Naruto on his own and talking with him. It was getting tiresome dealing with the pair complaining about it.

OooOOooOO

Two months later...

Naruto gave a small sigh. "Yeah. I already finished. So?"

Sasuke was a little dirty and glared at the hooded boy as Uzumaki held a cat with a ribbon tied to her ear in his arms. "What? We've been chasing that thing about..."

Sakura frowned and gave a small sigh. "How did you manage it anyway?" She seemed a bit annoyed as well, but looked tired of worrying about the mysterious boy. Ever since the day they'd gotten potato digging in their duties they'd both seen him about a lot more. He still vanished, but he had started appearing to speak with them as well.

"I noticed she had a lot of empty cans of poached salmon in her trash. So, I figured it was this one's favorite." The hooded boy had the animal hanging from his arms and had a bit of a tired expression on his face. He kept his face hidden behind his scarf, and they'd both only seen him without it once or twice while he was eating. He'd started showing up to eat with them when they had meals during missions. "What's the big deal anyway? We got her, right? The job is done."

Kakashi nodded and looked like he wasn't going to say much. "A clever trap." He was using it as an opportunity to teach them about coordinating an ambush. Naruto had a habit of screwing up his lesson plans by finishing the job in creative and intelligent ways on his own. He didn't really have the energy or desire to argue about it.

Sasuke and Sakura were both about to pounce into the bushes with the animal to capture it, when Naruto walked out of them with the cat in his arms.

OooOOooOO

The Hokage sighed as he read off the missions for Team Seven that day. He had his fist in his cheek and looked a bit bored as he spoke. "Babysitting for an elder, Shopping in a neighboring village, and helping with the potato digging."

Naruto and Kakashi both nodded together with their arms crossed in an identical pose. Sasuke and Sakura both hung their heads and sighed.

"This sucks." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"No kidding." Sakura agreed in a half whisper.

Naruto cocked his head and didn't uncross his arms. Kakashi glanced at his other two students and said nothing.

"Suck up." Sasuke grumbled as he looked at the hooded boy with the scarf over his face.

"Is there a problem Uchiha?" Iruka was sitting next to the Hokage and stood up, putting his hands on the desk.

The raven haired boy turned his eyes away. "No, sir."

Sakura flushed. "Isn't there anything else we can do? I mean, it's a been a bit boring so far."

Iruka frowned at her and stood up straight while crossing his arms. "You guys are only recently Genin. D ranked missions are perfect for you."

The Hokage puffed on his pipe and looked over at Naruto. Kakashi was looking away and seemed like he didn't want to speak up if he could avoid it. "Something to add, Uzumaki?"

The boy hung his head and slumped his shoulders. "I'll probably regret it, it's been pretty relaxing so far, but...I'm not a farmer. I wouldn't mind something a bit different myself."

The old man chuckled. "I suppose I can understand that. If you want it so much, I can give you a C ranked mission. The protection of a certain individual. I'll introduce you."

The door opened, and an older man with white hair, a small beard, and a bottle of alcohol in his grip leaned against the door frame. "Huh. They're all a bunch of super brats. The short one looks stupid, hiding his face. What? You got chronic acne or something?"

Sakura snorted in amusement. Sasuke glanced at the hooded boy next to him and turned his nose up and away from him. Naruto glanced back and fourth and seemed to realize that he meant him. "I'm gonna get you for that later old man."

Kakashi gave a small sigh. "You can't hurt him, he's a client."

"I am super bridge builder Tazuna. I expect you to provide me with protection until I get back to my country and complete my bridge."

"Yeah. Don't mess with me old man. I'll fuck you up." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the rather irate and lazy looking man in the doorway.

OooOOooOO

A short time later, Tazuna looked about as Sakura and Sasuke walked out of the gates ahead of him and out of the village. Kakashi was behind him and gave a small sigh as the two young Genin looked about at their surroundings.

"It's kind of exciting, isn't it?" Sakura smiled at Sasuke.

"Uzumaki has vanished again. Typical." The boy was ignoring her and looking about at the brush along the path that lead away from the village.

"Where's that other brat? The stupid looking one?" Tazuna glanced back at Kakashi. "Did you send him ahead to scout or something? He didn't seem too bright."

Kakashi shrugged. "I'm not sure where he is. He's around nearby though. I'd be careful what I said."

The man snorted. "Huh? Why? What's that brat gonna do?" He brought his bottle up to his lips, took a few deep gulps. His eyes went very wide, the air was sprayed with liquid, and he gasped for breath. Tazuna started coughing and gagging as he leaned over while the three shinobi looked at him in wide eyed confusion. The man looked at his bottle in shock and gasped out a few muttered curses.

"Are you all right?" Sakura took a tentative step forward and raised her hand a little.

Sasuke kept his back to them all and hid his smirk with his hands in his pockets.

Kakashi was at the man's side. "What happened?"

Tazuna seemed confused as he looked at his bottle. "It was fine a moment ago. I don't..."

Kakashi took the bottle from his grip as he narrowed his eyes and sniffed the contents with care. "Oh. I see. Well, I did warn you. It's best not to tease Uzumaki. His revenge can be quite terrible."

The bridge builder seemed confused. "I've had that in my hand the whole time. I don't..."

Sakura looked at Kakashi. "Sensei, what happened?"

Kakashi held the bottle up and shook it. It was about half full. "It's full of vinegar."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and frowned. "There are people in the village that won't even say his name. People who piss off Uzumaki tend to have bad stuff happen to them."

The pink haired kunoichi frowned at the boy. "Huh?"

"I never really noticed until we got put on the same team as him." The raven haired shinobi looked ahead and started walking with his hands in his pockets.

"What?" The kunoichi got a little wide eyed. "Hey. I guess...nothing has happened to us in a while."

Sasuke nodded. "Yup. Not since that day in the fields."

The girl blinked and thought about it. "Y-you're right. Why not?" She flushed as she realized they'd both said nasty things about him. He never seemed to be around, and didn't talk much. They'd seen a lot more of him since that day.

The boy in question was leaning against a nearby tree. "You're on my team." He looked at Tazuna and narrowed his eyes. "That old guy isn't so lucky."

The bridge builder frowned. "Where did you come from?"

Naruto turned his head away and pushed himself upright with his shoulders. "Just cause you can't see me, doesn't mean I'm not around."

"You brat! This is how you treat your clients?" Tazuna threw the bottle Kakashi had handed back to him on the ground.

"I told you, screw with me, and I'll fuck you up." With that said, he followed after Sasuke.

Tazuna glared at his back and turned to face Kakashi. "Am I safe with that brat?"

The man gave him a cheerful expression. "Don't worry. I'm a Jounin. You'll be fine."

OooOOooOO

A short distance away, Kakashi and Tazuna were talking with Sakura about Wave Country, where they were headed, and Shinobi. The wave country didn't have a hidden village, and the girl was curious.

"So, we won't run into any foreign Ninja, Sensei?"

Kakashi laughed in a cheerful manner. "No. Don't worry. There won't be any Ninja combat in a C ranked mission."

Sasuke glanced at Tazuna and frowned as the man lowered his eyes and seemed to think about something.

The Jounin was relaxed as he walked a short distance behind them. He passed a puddle on the ground and eyed it as he moved by.

Just after they passed, two figures rose out of the water. They were dressed in black cloaks, with breathing masks over their faces, and forehead protectors above their eyes. The pair moved in silence, each with a clawed metal gauntlet with a thick bladed cable connecting them.

The taller of the pair launched his companion into the air and set himself. A moment later, the smaller shinobi landed nearby Kakashi, wrapping the man up in the deadly looking cable between their gauntlets. The pair pulled it tight, holding him in place with several coils wrapped around him.

Sakura and Sasuke turned around, wide eyed with surprise as the two strange Shinobi captured their instructor.

"What the?" muttered the boy.

Haruno cried out in alarm at her teacher. "Kakashi-sensei!"

One of the attackers chuckled. "One dow..."

The bridge builder and two Genin blinked. A head rolled across the ground between the old man's feet.

The other assailant jerked his arm, but found himself with slack and seemed confused. "Huh?" A sudden pain in his chest and the sensation of moving up and forward a little caught him by surprise.

"Naruto!" Kakashi's eyes went wide. Half of his face was covered in blood, the headless body on one side of him spraying the air in a violent manner as it fell down into the dirt. His other assailant, had a blade jutting through his chest from behind him. He fell forward, and the blade slid out as he did so.

The hooded boy jerked his arm, shaking the blood off his sword and put it back onto his back as he looked down at the fallen shinobi in front of him. His eyes were calm and he cocked his head as he flipped the attacker over with his foot. "An enemy."

Kakashi was looking at him with a wide eye. The coils fell away from his body and he took a staggering step towards the hooded boy. "Uzumaki."

The boy looked up at him and seemed pleased. "You're all right then, Kakashi-sensei?"

The man straightened up. "I'm...fine. You did well."

The boy nodded and looked down at the body again. "Who are they?" He tapped at the man's forehead protector with his foot.

The instructor knelt beside the body and got a better look. "It looks like a Shinobi from the Hidden Mist village. Chunin I'd say."

Sasuke was looking at Naruto with wide eyes. Sakura was in front of Tazuna, and she was shaking a little with a similar expression.

Haruno was looking at her black clad fellow Genin in surprise and confusion. "I...I never even saw..." The Uchiha boy calmed down right away and walked over to the pair. He looked the body up and down and glanced over at the headless corpse.

"Not bad, Uzumaki."

Kakashi nodded at Sasuke. "This isn't a C ranked mission anymore. It's at least a B rank assignment now. We're not sure if they're after one of us or our client. I didn't want to kill them right away."

The blond boy shrugged. "Sorry. It looked like you were in a bit of a bind." He glanced at Tazuna. "When they came out of that puddle behind you, they looked at him first. I'm pretty sure they just attacked you to get you out of the way."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Well. We're not sure."

Sakura stayed in front of the old man and looked nervous with a Kunai knife in her grip. "Um, what do we do then?"

Their instructor was looking at Naruto. The boy wasn't paying any attention to the bodies anymore, and was looking about the tree line. He didn't seem to be thinking much at all about what he'd just done. He didn't seem to think anything of it. The boy fell to his knees and started going through the body's vest pockets. After a moment, he looked up at Kakashi. "Well, I guess we know now." He handed the man a photo from the dead shinobi's pocket. It was of Tazuna, and the edges were worn, with a few punctures from what looked like shuriken or kunai on the man's face.

He frowned at the evidence and nodded. "Tazuna-san. I need to talk with you." He walked away from the group and waved the old man over. Naruto was calm and collected, and that bothered him a little. When he looked away from Tazuna towards his students, the blond boy had already vanished again.

Sakura was breathing heavily as Sasuke walked over to her side with his hands in his pockets. He looked calm and cool as well. The girl was flustered and excited.

"Did you see that?" She gasped at her fellow Genin.

The boy glanced at her and frowned. "No. I do feel better about this mission now." He looked at the road ahead. He felt better about the team as well. "We can count on him if we need too. That's good." Uzumaki Naruto's reputation as a coward seemed less deserved than it ever had before in his eyes. He'd not caught a glimpse of the boy until it was over. Two men had died right in front of him, and he'd not seen the strikes. A chill ran down his spine, and he felt his skin crawl a little. It wasn't really a pleasant feeling, but his respect for his teammate had grown.

"B-better?" Sakura's eyes got a bit wider as her jaw dropped a little. "Master Kakashi just got attacked by two strange shinobi!"

Sasuke smirked. "Yup. Interesting."

Sakura flushed a bit as she seemed to calm a little more. "That's kind of cool I guess." The boy with her didn't seem to think anything of it. Sasuke didn't seem worried at all and it was kind of hot. Her cheeks flushed as a breeze blew by, shifting his hair and shirt.

Uchiha wasn't paying her any attention. "Pretty impressive, Uzumaki." He looked back towards Kakashi.

Naruto frowned as he looked down on the scene from a near by tree branch. "No. Not really." He looked at his hand and frowned. He'd never killed anyone before. He clenched his fist and looked over at Kakashi and the old man. He had to look ahead now though. As far as he was concerned, the mission was only just starting. His eyes turned towards the head that was still resting on the ground nearby. The eyes were open, and seemed to be looking right at him. "I'll think about it when this is over." He closed his eyes and forced himself to turn away from it.

OooOOooOO

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 4

Naruto's Path

OooOOooOO

Kakashi stood with Tazuna a short distance away from his three students. The old man was nervous, the bodies of the Mist Ninja were still lying about on the ground a short distance away, and they were several miles from Konoha village. The bridge builder hung his head and frowned. "I'm sorry. I realize that you're probably acting outside of your duties now."

The Jounin nodded with is arms crossed and his eye gave nothing of his thoughts away.

Tazuna continued. "It seems a super dangerous person wants me dead. You probably know his name already."

The ninja nodded and his eye narrowed a bit. "Who?"

The old man gave a heavy sigh. "The shipping magnate Gatou. He's one of the few very wealthy people in the five countries."

Kakashi looked surprised. "The head of the shipping company?"

The bridge builder nodded and lowered his eyes. "Yes. He uses the shipping company as a front, he uses ninja gangs, and sells drugs and other illegal items on the black market to take over businesses and countries. The bridge I'm building threatens his monopoly on trade in our small country. He's set his eyes on the Wave Country, and now controls all shipping operations there. I need protection to complete my bridge. It's the only thing he has to fear."

The Jounin uncrossed his arm and his visible eye was rather wide. "I see. That bridge of yours is a threat to his business."

The old man nodded. "Yes. It will eliminate his hold on trade within our country. I understand if you feel you must leave. If you do, I'll surely die. My cute ten year old grandson will cry for a few days, and my beautiful young daughter will hate the Leaf ninja forever!"

Kakashi nodded, he glanced over his shoulder. Naruto was standing nearby, leaning against a tree trunk watching them in silence. He knew the boy had overheard the whole conversation. "I see."

He looked back at Tazuna, and then back at where Naruto had been standing. The spot was empty again. "I need your help. Don't worry though, if you decide to leave me to my death, it won't be your fault." Tazuna bowed his head.

"Don't worry. We'll protect you until your job is finished. I guess we have no choice." The Jounin gave a small sigh and nodded his head. He was a bit worried about Naruto, but the boy didn't seem bothered by the two deaths he'd just caused. He looked calm and cool. It bothered him a little, but he didn't see the need to say anything. The man decided to keep an eye on him though.

Tazuna smiled and turned away from the man. "I win!"

OooOOooOO

Uzumaki Naruto was sitting in the back of a small fishing boat. There was an an engine on the back, but their guide was using a long pole to push them through a thick mist as they moved across the water. He was sitting by Sasuke, with Sakura across from him. Kakashi was seated at the front of the boat, looking ahead of them, with Tazuna sitting next to the man pushing them through the water in the middle. Their guide was wearing a straw hat, and looking out into the mist with a nervous frown.

Sasuke was silent, and looking out across the water at the mist. Naruto had his head hung, and seemed to be resting or sleeping, with his sword resting on his shoulder. Sakura's cheeks were flushed as she peered at the hooded boy.

"Naruto...um..." She spoke in a half whisper, and seemed nervous.

Uzumaki's head lifted a bit and he looked at her in a half interested way. "Huh?"

"How did you do that? I mean, when we got attacked. I never even..."

The boy's scarf hid his small smirk. "I'm meant to be invisible."

The girl seemed confused. "You can turn invisible? How? Is it some sort of jutsu?"

He gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "No. Well, sort of. I can't make it so you can see through me or anything." He gave a small sigh and noticed Sasuke was looking towards him as well. "All right. I guess we're on the same team and all. I've trained to move and fight without Chakra."

Both children looked surprised.

Sakura gasped. "Huh? What do you mean? All Ninja..."

The hooded boy nodded. "I know. I can seal mine up. I still need it for some things, like making a Kage Bunshin, or using Ninjutsu. When I'm not using it, it's like I've got none at all. As if I'm dead."

Sasuke spoke up, looking confused. "How does that help you?"

Naruto shrugged. "Everyone can sense Chakra. As ninja, we train with it more, so we tend to notice it easier. Some ninja to the point that they can tell where you are, just by using your chakra to find you. Like the Hyuuga clan for example. I've heard the Uchiha clan can do similar things. Right? Eye jutsu can be very strong, and dangerous."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and didn't answer his question. Naruto didn't seem to care much about an answer anyway. "How can you fight without it?"

The hooded boy shook his head. "Not without it." He moved his sword a little to draw their attention to it. "It's like this sword. When I'm not using it, it's inside it's scabbard. I only draw it out when I need it, and when I'm finished, I put it away. I don't hold it longer than I need it. Get it?"

Sakura nodded. "I think I get it. So, you can hide better?"

Naruto nodded. "That's right. There's a bit more to it than that. I've still got to move out of sight. I'm pretty fast, and I've learned to move in total silence. I can breathe without making a sound, even when I'm running in a full sprint. Little things like that."

Sasuke looked a little confused. "So, how did you kill those men though? I didn't see anything either. You used chakra for that, right?"

Uzumaki gave a small sigh. "Do you stand around holding a Kunai knife all the time, or do you draw it out and use it when you need it and put it away when you're done?"

Uchiha narrowed his eyes at him. "That's a stupid question."

"Right. I use my Chakra, the same way you use Kunai. I think the way the two of you use chakra is pretty wasteful." Naruto gave a small shrug and nodded.

Sakura frowned at him. "Hey. What do you mean? With no chakra, you'd die! We read about that in the academy! There are shinobi who die because they used too much."

The Uzumaki boy shook his head. "It's still there. It's just hidden. I minimize it, and only use just enough to keep myself from dying. It makes me undetectable, silent, and deadly. I've still got to be careful and stay out of sight though. I'm not really invisible, not in a literal sense anyway."

Sasuke frowned at him. "It would also make you pretty weak. I don't get how you claim you can fight like that. It takes chakra to even throw a punch, much less one that's going to hurt someone."

Naruto nodded. "I suppose. Let me put it this way though. You can't hit what you can't see. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

Sakura nodded and seemed to think about it. "That doesn't sound very fair."

Uzumaki snorted in amusement. "Fair is for Samurai. If I'm in a fair fight, I've already failed. I am Shinobi."

Sasuke frowned. "Not very honorable."

Naruto glanced at him from the corners of his eyes. "I prefer duty to honor. I'll complete my mission, honor be damned. It's a thing for those who seek glory and praise. I'm a Shinobi, and I'd prefer no one knew I existed."

The Uchiha boy seemed surprised at this. "Seems a bit cowardly to me."

Haruno looked a bit uncomfortable and nodded. "He's right."

Naruto shrugged. "I don't care what either of you think. I'll do my duty, and I won't give up until it's done. That is my ninja way."

Sakura flushed a bit. "You killed those guys like it was nothing. It was pretty cool."

Naruto lowered his head. "I'd rather not talk about it. It's not nothing at all."

"Huh?" The girl looked surprised, and Sasuke frowned and looked almost disgusted.

The hooded boy turned his eyes towards the water. "I'll do my job, whatever the cost. Don't talk about death as if it's something cool or fun. Thinking like that is dangerous. Especially with people like us." He glanced back with a bit of anger in his eyes. "I'm not going to be some monster."

Haruno looked a bit embarrassed and looked away from him.

Uchiha gave a snort and looked out into the thick mist. "Whatever."

Naruto looked up at the girl and she avoided eye contact. He smirked under his scarf. "You'll understand sooner or later. It's not something to brag about. I'm not out to impress you or anyone else. Just to do my duty."

Kakashi looked back at the trio with his uncovered eye over his shoulder. His arms were crossed as he took his eyes off the mist ahead of them for a moment. He didn't say anything and turned back to keeping watch.

Naruto looked off to their right. "Hey. Pretty impressive. This is that bridge of yours old man?"

Tazuna looked like he'd been dozing off. "Huh? That's right. This is my super bridge."

Sakura smiled and looked impressed. "Wow! It's so big!"

Sasuke looked a bit impressed as well. He was trying to hide it though, and kept quiet. He looked at Naruto. "How did you manage to fill that old guy's bottle with vinegar anyway? You were carrying some around with you?"

Naruto blinked and seemed to think about it. Tazuna looked interested as well. "I was wondering that myself. I had it in my hand the whole time. There's no way you poured something in it without me noticing." Sakura nodded and looked towards the hooded boy.

"Huh?" He reached into his shirt and pulled out a small folded paper. He opened it up, and showed them two small white pills. "This. I crush it up and put it into a bottle of wine or sake and it turns it into vinegar in about a minute. Speeds up the aging process. I've used it on people who piss me off in the village before." He seemed pleased with himself as he folded it up and put it away.

The man driving the boat frowned down at the group. They'd been pretty quiet so far, but he was getting nervous as they drew closer to the land. "Pipe down. I'm not using the engine because we don't want anyone to notice us. If Gatou finds us, we're in big trouble."

OooOOooOO

A short time later, they came to a small dock on the riverside after passing through a tunnel, and had taken a route that gave them more cover because of the vegetation. The shinobi and their charge stepped onto a small rickety dock and the boat driver tipped his hat. "This is where I leave. Good luck."

Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke all took positions around Tazuna. Naruto seemed to vanish, he landed on a nearby tree branch where the others couldn't see him. A moment later, he'd created two shadow clones, they fanned out and moved off ahead, staying along side the his team out of sight along the path they were taking.

They left the dock and found themselves on a small path. Kakashi was in the lead and looked a little worried. His mind was occupied and he was very alert. "If we get attacked again, it will be a Jounin level ninja."

Sakura shrieked as Naruto appeared between her and Sasuke, he tossed a shuriken as he landed towards the bushes ahead of them. "There!"

"What are you doing?" The girl looked about ready to punch him.

"I saw someone!" The boy balled up his fist and pointed at the bushes. "We're being watched."

Kakashi looked a little worried and annoyed. "Please stop using shuriken. It's dangerous, seriously."

Sasuke walked over and pulled aside the brush. A quivering rabbit white rabbit was on the ground. Naruto peered over his shoulder. "You dope. It's just a snow rabbit."

The boy growled. "A white rabbit in the spring? Don't be stupid!" He hopped into the brush and vanished and Sasuke looked annoyed.

"What? That coward." Uchiha's opinion of his fellow Genin had fallen a bit again as he turned away from the bunny.

Kakashi was right behind him. "He's right. This is a snow rabbit. It should be brown though."

Sakura gasped. "What?"

The man dove and knocked Tazuna, Sakura, and Sasuke to the ground. "Get down now!"

A huge sword spun over their heads and impacted on a tree trunk a few yards ahead of them. A tall bare chested shinobi in striped pants with his face covered in rags with short black hair was standing on top of it with his arms crossed. He was wearing his forehead protector cocked to the side over his head. It had four small wavy lines where Kakashi and his team had the Leaf symbol.

Kakashi looked up and gasped. "This guy is..."

Naruto was already on the move, he shot by the tree trunk from the bushes beside it. The new shinobi blinked in surprise as he noticed the small black blur move by underneath him. The towering figure waved his arm, and a line of kunai landed in the dirt along the path the shadow had moved. He turned his head and saw Naruto putting his sword back as he hopped back into cover in the brush. The man's foothold shifted and he staggered on top of the massive blade sticking from the trunk as it tilted back.

"What the hell?" The assassin grabbed his blade's handle, pushed his feet against the trunk pulling his weapon and foothold free. The enemy ninja pushed off as the tree toppled, cut near the base. He put his hands out landed in a hand stand and rolled across the ground before stopping himself and swinging his sword in a wide arc. There was a pain on his gut and he growled as he saw a katana pointing straight up in the dirt just in front of where he landed with blood on the tip. His empty hand was over the small shallow wound on his belly. "Heh. Clever."

Kakashi stood tall in front of Tazuna and his two visible students. The sword fell over and slid into the bushes as a wire on the end of the grip became visible for a moment. It vanished into the bushes, and the towering ninja tossed five kunai into the place where the sword had vanished. He brought his sword up and sparks flew as a black blur jumped out of the bushes opposite where the sword had gone.

A young black clad ninja with blond hair was pushing against his blade with a kunai. The assassin growled and glared into fearless eyes as the blond kid jumped back. The man swung his blade up, attempting to toss the boy away and into the air. The boy had relaxed his pushing a moment before and jumped into the trees and avoided being cut in half by no more than an inch.

"What the hell was that?" Tazuna looked shocked.

Sasuke was glaring at the scene. "Uzumaki." He was getting sick of being shown up.

"Everyone get back! He's more than you can handle! I'll take care of this!" Kakashi took a step forward and put his hand in front of Uchiha before he could rush forward.

Naruto appeared behind Tazuna by jumping down from the trees behind him. Sakura and Sasuke glanced back at him. Haruno was in front of the old man in a defensive position. Uchiha looked like he wanted to rush by Kakashi, but relented.

Naruto grabbed Tazuna by his collar and jerked him into the bushes with him.

Sakura gasped. "Hey!"

Uzumaki had his hand over the old man's mouth. He was on his rear, sweating bullets as he looked up to see the boy with his finger over his scarf and serious eyes. He pulled him onto his feet and kept him crouching as he looked over to see Kakashi keeping himself between the newcomer and his two remaining students.

The hooded boy put his arm around the old man's neck and pulled him through the brush quickly, but not in a straight line. Tazuna tried to speak and looked annoyed and confused. The hooded boy put his hand over his mouth again, and kept them on patches of dirt between the leaves and sticks within the brush.

The path they were taking was only about twenty yards from the river. The old man blinked in surprise as his guide shoved what he thought was a stick into his mouth and pinched his nose. Tazuna almost gasped in shock as the boy pulled him and himself into the water quickly, but without making a splash.

The water was cool, and was a bit of a shock to both of their skins. The boy kept his arm around the man's neck and held him in place by force with the same hand covering his mouth and keeping the stick in place. After a moment, Tazuna calmed as he realized he could still breathe. He couldn't see anything but a blur, but could tell there was a hollowed out bamboo tube in his mouth. He calmed as he understood what was going on and relaxed under the boy's arm. Naruto noticed his struggles stop and relaxed his hold, keeping his arm around him. The old man put his hand up to pinch his own nose and felt the boy's other hand release his nostrils.

OooOOooOO

The tall enemy had his sword back on his back as he growled as his target vanished into the nearby brush. Kakashi had most of his attention though. The Jounin spared a glance back as Sakura and Sasuke looked over their shoulders at where Tazuna had vanished.

"What the hell is going on?" The Uchiha boy looked frustrated. "Where's Uzumaki?"

"No! Mr. Tazuna!" Sakura gasped. She started to move towards the brush.

Kakashi spoke to both of them. "Let it be, and stay out of the way. He's fine. I'll handle this, you two hang back. This one is beyond any of you."

The enemy shinobi gave an impressed sounding snort. "Well. Impressive. You're Kakashi, the Sharingan Copy ninja of the Leaf."

The Jounin nodded. "If I don't do this, this one could be a problem." He lifted his forehead protector off of his other eye. "I've heard of you. You're Momochi Zabuza. A missing nin of the Hidden Village of the Mist."

Sasuke was looking at Kakashi in shock. "Sharingan?"

The tall short haired shinobi nodded. "Right. I'll hunt him down later. It seems I'll have to deal with you first anyway." He gave another chuckle. "I'm impressed. I thought there were only the three of you. I'll force that rat out when I've killed you and your two brats. I was only expecting one Jounin. I didn't think that old fool could afford this much protection. Well played, but not enough."

Kakashi didn't say anything in reply to the Mist ninja and spread his feet to prepare for the fight ahead. "You two stay out of the fight. That's the teamwork here."

Zabuza stood tall and looked relaxed. "Ah, the Sharingan, I get to see it already. I'm honored."

Sakura was confused. "What's Sharingan?"

Sasuke was lost in thought and looking up at his instructor. "Sharingan? It's a special physical condition that appears in select few members of the Uchiha clan. Could it be?"

Zabuza spoke up. "It's a technique that allows you to see through any Jutsu. What's really scary is, that once you see it, it can copy the jutsu. Hidden Leaf's Copy Ninja Kakashi, the man who has copied over a thousand jutsu." He pointed his sword at the man. "Enough talking. I have to kill that old man, and it seems I'll have to kill you first!" He raised his hand and put two fingers over his face. "Hidden Mist no Jutsu! Nippou..." He vanished from sight.

"Mamochi Zabuza is known as an expert in silent killing, he'll come after me first. You don't even notice until you are dead." He looked at his students for a moment. "It's not like I can use the Sharingan perfectly. Be careful."

Sakura looked around and seemed worried. They were surrounded by a thick mist, and it was getting worse. "I can barely see in this mist!"

Naruto was sitting on a tree branch watching the mess unfold. His lips turned up as his team started to fade from view. "All this cover, how nice of him." He looked towards the river and then back to the group as he hopped down from his cover and moved into the mist. Sakura and Sasuke were stationary, back to back and looking about the shroud of mist with kunai at the ready. Kakashi was standing a dozen or so yards away, keeping his distance from them on purpose.

Zabuza was talking about internal organs, listing vital spots to scare them from his shroud.

Sasuke looked worried, he seemed to be sweating bullets and was starting to shake. "This ki. It feels like I could die at any moment. I'd almost rather get it over with."

"Hey, calm down dope. This guy isn't so tough." Uzumaki faded into view for a moment in the mist a short distance away. Tazuna was standing behind him.

"Sasuke. Don't worry. I'll protect you guys no matter what. I don't let my comrades die." He looked at Naruto and Tazuna. "What? Why did..." He was standing too far away, in the open away from Kakashi, or his fellow Genin. "You idiot!"

The boy slashed upwards with his sword and clean through Tazuna's neck.

"No! What are you doing?" Sakura looked alarmed as a spray of blood splattered the ground. Tazuna looked surprised for an instant, and vanished in a puff of smoke as Naruto jumped off into the mist while putting his sword away.

Zabuza screamed in frustrated anger as he clutched at his cheek as his sword cleaved a large gash into the ground where the fake Tazuna had been. "Damn! That brat! I should have know it was too easy!" Blood was seeping through his fingers from the gash on his cheek. He'd almost lost his head and vanished into the mist again.

"Huh?" Kakashi looked surprised.

Zabuza yelped in pain again and the Jounin rushed towards the sound and skidded to a halt in front of a patch of makabishi throwing nails. There was a bit of blood in the dirt and several footprints.

Kakashi growled a little. "What the hell is he doing?"

Zabuza loomed over Sasuke and Sakura just behind them. Kakashi rushed towards them in an instant, knocking the children aside as he stabbed the enemy ninja. The man vanished into a spray of water. The Leaf Jounin looked surprised for a moment, as the massive blade came out of the mist behind him, cutting him in half. Kakashi vanished into another puddle, just as the fake Zabuza had.

"What? He copied my water clone in this mist?" Zabuza looked surprised.

Kakashi already had his kunai at his throat from behind him. "It's over."

Zabuza chuckled. "You just don't get it, do you?"

The Leaf Jounin put the blade a little closer to his throat.

The Mist ninja seemed to be enjoying it. "You had already copied my water clone, and spoke to your students to distract me. Very clever, I'm impressed, but I'm not that easy."

The voice had come from behind Kakashi, and the man gasped as the man he was holding vanished in a puddle. "Wha?"

Zabuza froze, as he felt a sharp slash at his calf, causing him to falter. "It..." He looked back and gasped.

A short hooded figure with a sword was jumping back to avoid the retaliating slash. "For someone who's supposed to be an expert in silent killing, you sure talk a lot." Naruto went quiet as he moved off into the mist again.

Zabuza took a solid kick in his chest as Kakashi lashed out. The Mist ninja arched backwards to avoid the Kunai the man tossed and it passed over his shoulder. "Damn!" Zabuza hacked his huge sword in several wide swings. The Leaf Jounin ducked and hopped over it. The enemy ninja had a large reach advantage and kept Kakashi on his toes. Zabuza was forced to shift sideways and give Kakashi some breathing room as several kunai became embedded in the ground from the tree branches overhead.

The enemy shinobi growled in anger and faced the place they had come from. Naruto was sitting on a thick branch in plain view. "You little bastard!" The man had a few shallow injuries from the boy's attacks, and he was getting sick of it. The Genin's eyes grew wide as Zabuza hacked upward through the branch he was sitting on, and cut clean through Uzumaki as well.

The boy vanished in a puff of smoke after being struck and Zabuza's eyes went wide. He spread his feet as he landed in the brush and gasped as he looked down at the bear trap he'd almost landed on. "What the? Who the hell is that brat?"

Kakashi took advantage of the situation and caught his shoulder with a thrown kunai, creating another small cut. Zabuza slashed at the man's feet as he moved towards him, stopped his hack as the tip of his sword became embedded in the ground. He lifted it upwards on it's side and Kakashi's foot got caught, tossing the Jounin into the air and onto the nearby river.

Zabuza chuckled as his enemy struggled to get out of the water as fast as he could. "Water Prison no Jutsu!" A moment later, Kakashi was trapped in a ball of water that was attached to his opponent's hand. "Fool. Now you're trapped in my inescapable prison."

Kakashi was very alarmed. "Damn! Now what?"

The Mist ninja created a water clone. "Now, I'll take care of those two brats, and finish you and that other bothersome Jounin after."

One of the puddles on the ground rose up into a clone and turned towards Sakura and Sasuke. It spoke to them, relaying a message from it's creator. "Heh. Wearing those forehead protectors and pretending to be real ninja. A true ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death!" He flexed his arm and stalked toward the children.

Sasuke frowned and glared at him, raising his kunai up and shifting his feet. Sakura looked horrified and took a step back. She didn't know what to do. "Kakashi sensei!"

Their enemy seemed amused. "Once you're good enough to be put in my handbook, you can call yourself a ninja. You brats are nothing, you shouldn't call yourself ninja at all!"

Naruto moved out of the mist close to Zabuza, but out of his line of sight. He looked over at Sasuke. He made a punching motion with his fist and pointed at the clone. The Uchiha boy made no indication he'd seen it, and glared at the clone.

Kakashi called out to them. "Run away! You've got no chance against him. He can't move while he's got me trapped like this! Get out of here! Find Naruto and Tazuna and get to safety!"

The clone rushed Sasuke, and the boy hopped up over a fast kick. The water clone slashed with his sword, and Uchiha turned sideways and deflected it with his kunai. Kakashi was alarmed. "What are you doing? Stop!"

Sasuke ignored him, but took a punch in the face. He staggered back as his forehead protector flew off and clattered across the ground. He took a shot on the chest as the angry looking clone stomped on his chest and spit out a bit of blood.

Sakura stepped forward, clutching her own weapon and pointing it toward the clone. "No! What are you doing! We Genin can't fight him! He's too..." She looked up in surprise. Naruto was on his belly near the real Zabuza doing something on the ground just in front of him on the shore. The enemy Nin was distracted with his water clone's fight, and didn't notice. "Huh?" The hooded nin seemed to almost slide out of the way on his belly and vanished into the mist again.

The Uchiha boy took a hard kick to his gut and rolled across the ground. He pushed himself up with his arms and groaned as he struggled to pick himself up. His eyes lifted up, and he saw Naruto pointing towards the bushes to his right behind the clone.

The fake Zabuza stomped on his forehead protector and the boy growled. "You..." He was on his feet in an instant.

Sakura rushed forward and moved to the right, tossing her kunai at the thing's forehead as it tried to kick Sasuke again. The boy blocked the leg and kicked the clone in it's chest. It staggered back, and the Uchiha boy jumped up, connecting with a hard hooking kick across it's face. It caught his leg and slammed him onto the ground, deflecting another of Sakura's kunai with the giant sword as she moved in front of the brush line to his right.

Sasuke was down and looked like he was hurting. The clone charged the girl with it's sword held high. The girl fell to her knees and rolled to the side as it cut a large gash into the dirt where she'd been a moment before. Before the clone could lift the blade, a black blur shot out of the brush, and the head of the clone came clean off. Naruto landed behind it as it fell into a puddle of water and turned to glare at Zabuza with his sword pointed at him.

Sasuke was on his feet and smirking as well. Sakura didn't look very confident, but her alarm and worry had lessened a great deal. The Uchiha boy put his hands into his pockets and glared at the real Zabuza.

"No! Get out of here! What are you doing?" Kakashi was alarmed. "This fight was over the moment he captured me!"

Zabuza chuckled. "Impressive. So you've decided to keep playing ninja? Well, when I was your age, my hands were already stained with blood."

Naruto growled and looked at his hand. He was standing the closest to the enemy and clenched his fist as he gave him a serious glare.

"Devil Zabuza!" Kakashi looked over at his captor. "The Hidden Mist's graduation exam."

The Mist ninja seemed a little surprised. "You know about the exam even? Heh."

Naruto frowned at the enemy. "What exam?"

Zabuza seemed cheerful. "Fights to the death between the students. Friends who had shared hopes and dreams, helped each other, ate at the same table, forced to fight, until one of them loses their life."

Kakashi spoke more to his students than him, hoping to scare them off. "They were forced to change it, after a lone boy, who wasn't even a ninja, killed over a hundred students. The devil, Zabuza."

The Mist ninja seemed to cheer up even more. "Sure was fun."

Uzumaki snorted. "What? You eyebrowless freak. That's supposed to impress me?"

Zabuza's eyes became angry. "You little." He moved his hand to create another clone, but a sharp pain in the back of his leg sent him to his knees. "What?" He looked back and saw a kunai stabbed into his upper thigh. "Shadow clone?" His eyes were wide as the boy who was rushing up behind him hacked at the arm holding Kakashi in the jutsu with his sword.

The Mist ninja ripped his arm free and chopped at the kid's neck. It vanished in a cloud of smoke, as another black blur rushed into the ball of water as it fell away from Kakashi. The Leaf Jounin looked just as surprised as he found himself several yards away in an instant, hanging from yet another Naruto's shoulder.

The boy gasped and fell to his knees. "You're heavy, sensei."

Zabuza took a step forward onto the edge of the shore with wide and angry eyes. He heard a click under his foot and looked down. "Oh shit."

The ground where the mist ninja had been standing exploded sending dirt and dust high into the air. Naruto frowned as he looked up into the air. "Nuts. Missed."

Zabuza landed with a wild rage in his eyes several yards away. "I'll kill you, brat."

Kakashi was on his feet, and leveled a glare at the man. "Good plan, Naruto."

"Man, what a dope." Naruto was grinning at his side with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

Zabuza reached for the sword on his back and froze. There was a snapping clank, and his lower left leg exploded in pain. "What?" He looked down and saw his shin trapped in another bear trap. "Gahhhh!" He pulled his weapon off his back and pried his leg free. He hopped back, not able to put much weight on it.

The Leaf Jounin snorted and arched his eyebrow. "I'll tell you this, I won't fall for the same Jutsu twice."

Zabuza growled. "I'll kill you both!" He jolted forward in shock as three more kunai became impaled into the back of his right leg. "No!" The Mist ninja fell to his knees as both his legs gave out. His blade was stuck in the ground, and he holding himself up with it. "Damn. It can't be."

There was another of the hooded boy standing behind him. His two friends rushed up to the other Naruto's side. Uchiha was tying his forehead protector back onto his head with a smirk on his face. The girl had her chest puffed out and was grinning.

Kakashi pulled a kunai from his side and held it ready. "You're going to die."

Zabuza fell face first into the dirt with two needles jutting from his neck.

The group of Leaf ninja looked on in surprise as a new figure landed on one of the nearby tree branches. The Naruto next to Kakashi vanished, leaving the one with the two Genin behind. They all looked up at the small masked shinobi who spoke in a cheery voice. "Yup. He's dead." It was a young boy from the look of him, about the same age as the Genin. He was wearing robes with long sleeves and sitting on a tree branch looking down at all of them.

Kakashi stepped towards the body while the Genin looked up at the newcomer in shock. "He's dead all right." He turned his eyes towards the masked figure. "That mask, you're a Mist Hunter Nin."

"Impressive. Yes. It's my duty to hunt down Missing Nin and eliminate them." The figure seemed quite pleased with them. "Thank you. I've been waiting for an opportunity to kill Zabuza for some time now."

Naruto frowned at the boy and crossed his arms. "Well. Seems kind of pointless for you to jump in at the last moment." He didn't seem that upset.

The figure vanished in a small whirlwind, and appeared in another next to the body. "Sorry. This seems like a body with many secrets. Hidden Mist Village must keep their secrets as much as Konoha. I've got to dispose of it properly."

Naruto uncrossed his arms and stepped forward as the figure vanished after lifting up the body into his arms. "Huh? Where the heck is he goin? Hey."

Kakashi ruffled his head and looked pleased with him. "Well, to take care of the body, I guess. It will need to be destroyed. To keep it's jutsu secret."

The boy frowned at his sensei. "I know why. I remember that from the academy library!" His two sensei had forced him to read two scrolls that weren't about performing jutsu every night before bed since they had started training him. He'd discovered it was best to do what they said, and they could always tell when he didn't. It was frustrating for a while, but he'd eventually given in. "Why'd he carry it off? He should have just done it right here!"

Sasuke looked disgusted. "I'm glad he did."

Sakura was appalled. "Eew! Uzumaki that's gross! I wouldn't want to watch that!"

Kakashi went still. His hand was still on the boy's head. "H-he's right." He looked about the brush line and clenched his fist. He put his hand up to his chin. He looked at Sakura and Sasuke and they both looked disgusted. "Maybe he didn't want to do it in front of them? They are young Genin after all...but..."

Naruto frowned and gave an uncertain nod. "I guess maybe he didn't want to gross us out. I read that they're supposed to just take care of it wherever the body is though."

Kakashi put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Yeah. Good job Naruto. Come on. Where is Tazuna? We should get back." He pulled his forehead protector back over his left eye again. "All of you, good work. That was great teamwork."

Sasuke was giving Naruto a rather blank stare. The boy vanished in a puff of smoke.

Sakura gasped. "Another Shadow Clone?! Then...where is he?"

Kakashi shrugged. "With Tazuna I'd say. It was good thinking to get him away from here. I'm pretty impressed."

The group turned and started walking towards the river and the town again. A moment later, a very wet Naruto and Tazuna were walking toward them.

The old man looked irate. "Couldn't you have found a better place to hide? I'm soaked to the bone! I'll catch cold and die! I'm not so young you midget!"

Naruto sounded annoyed and looked a bit irate at his wet state as well. "Shut up. You're alive aren't you? Ungrateful jerk!"

The old man gave him a weak but genuine looking grin. "You know, you're right. Super thanks guys. Come back to my place and relax for a bit."

Sakura looked confused. "Why are the two of you all wet? Where were you anyway?"

Tazuna flushed. "We were in the river, under the water. I hope I never have to breathe through a stick for that long again."

The hooded boy didn't like thinking about it much. "Tell me about it. I'm pretty sure I'll end up doing it again sooner or later. Not much fun."

The bridge builder grinned. "Well, it's over with for now. I could use some food and a nice nap. I've got work to be doing tomorrow. That bridge isn't going to build itself you know."

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. That's a good idea. Using the Sharingan takes a lot out of me. I'm glad I didn't have to over do it." He looked at the three Genin. "All of you did very well. I hope to see that kind of teamwork in the future from all of you."

Sakura looked a bit embarrassed and frowned at Naruto. "I guess. Naruto did more than either of us."

Sasuke continued to look his fellow Genin down, but didn't look very angry, and didn't speak. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking a little behind the others.

Naruto gave a small sigh. "That's because there were five of me. We all did good."

That pleased Haruno and she cheered up a bit. "Well, when you put it that way, I don't feel so bad."

"Yeah. Well, hiding in the river with the old man wasn't that much fun." Naruto was smacking the sides of his head and trying to get water out of his ears. He pulled his hood off and shook his head.

Tazuna chuckled. "We'll get some dry clothes, and have something to eat. Come on, it's not far now."

Kakashi glanced over at Sasuke. The boy had been quiet as the mess ended. He moved up beside him. "You did very well also. I didn't expect you any of you to stand up to Zabuza that way."

Uchiha nodded. "It was just a clone."

His instructor shrugged. "Regardless, you all worked as a team. None of you would have been able to stand against him on your own. All of you have grown a lot more than I'd thought. Naruto wouldn't have been able to pull off getting me out of that jutsu and setting those traps if the two of you hadn't been distracting him."

Sasuke nodded. He didn't seem upset or cheerful.

Kakashi looked at the blond boy who was walking with their charge with Haruno on Tazuna's other side. He was looking around while the girl chatted with the man. Gazing at the tree line for more trouble. "I'm gonna have to talk with him later. He's killed two people so far, but I could tell he was relieved when someone else killed Zabuza. Plus, Zabuza might not really be dead, and that boy who showed up might be trouble. I kind of hope he's not dead. They might send someone even worse if he is."

The Uzumaki boy glanced back at him and Sasuke before turning his eyes forward again.

Kakashi gave a small sigh and hung his head. "That kid is something else." He wasn't so sure Naruto couldn't have handled Zabuza alone. He suspected nothing but shadow clones had even tried to engage the Mist Ninja. He was pretty sure of it in fact. He'd gotten Tazuna to safety, remembering what the job was first and foremost. He used Henge no Jutsu to draw him out, and pulled off several traps and ambushes. There was no denying he was some kind of genius. It surprised him, and worried him a little. Considering what he'd heard about him at the academy, it was a bit of a shock at first.

He was just beginning to understand that Uzumaki was something very special. He was also wondering when he was going to meet these two men who had taught him. He had every intention of discovering them, and finding out just who they were and what they wanted. It worried him more than anything else about the boy.

Uzumaki was special, but he was starting to feel like it might not be a bad thing at all. As worried as he was, the boy gave him a sense of hope. He'd made a very good impression so far. Kakashi was looking forward to finding out just what the boy's future held. It would be very interesting indeed.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: A bridge between dreams and nightmares.


	5. Chapter 5

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 5

A bridge between Dreams and Nightmares.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was moving about the battlefield where they'd faced Zabuza. He was digging about the ground, picking up bear traps and folding them up to put them in his traveling pack. Once they closed, he was able to fold the weapons in half again, minimizing the amount of space to store them. Inside were various other weapons, including the throwing nails and kunai he'd collected from the mess afterwards.

The river now extended about five feet further from where the land mine had exploded, leaving a bit more room in his bag. He hefted the bag onto his shoulder and looked about. He'd set up several bear traps between the explosion, and where he'd taken Kakashi. The Mist ninja had only set off one of them. "I think that's everything."

He seemed satisfied and started off towards where his real body had gone with the rest of the group. He'd liked to have used poisoned weapons, but Genin without an innate ability involving poison weren't permitted. He needed to become a Chunin before they'd let him carry even a small amount of slow acting poisons, and a Jounin before he could get his hands on anything very dangerous in large quantities. He gave a small sigh as he thought about it and shook his head. "This would have been easier if I could poison a few kunai and throwing nails."

He started off back to his group and smiled as he thought about it. "Sometimes easy isn't always best."

OooOOooOO

Tsunami looked cheerful as the Ninja group sat around with her father Tazuna. She was a pretty woman of about twenty-nine years. A small pot was cooking over a small fire and she was stirring the contents. "I'm glad everyone arrived safe."

The girl and the black haired nin were sitting around near Tazuna looking tired and resting themselves. Kakashi was sitting with a book in the corner doing the same.

Tsunami blinked in surprise as a boy in a black hood appeared on the porch, dropped a traveling bag just outside the door, and walked back out of sight to vanish. The real Naruto was sitting on the porch, just out of view of anyone in the home, just beside the open doors. He was working on the laces of his sword hilt, tugging them into place as he braided them back with care. He looked over and saw Kakashi moving up to his side by the door.

"Uzumaki. How are you doing?" The man didn't look at him as he settled down to sit with him.

"Things are going well so far. That guy was a pain, but we got through it all right." Naruto seemed to cheer up a little and spoke in a quiet and even tone. "I admit, I wasn't expecting this much trouble."

Kakashi nodded. "True. I was expecting maybe a gang of thugs at most. So far we've run into three enemy nin, and one unknown nin."

Naruto nodded and his eyes became serious. "We'll succeed. We should be all right for a little while. That guy was pretty strong. I don't think we'll be running into more trouble for a bit."

His instructor looked up at the sky. "Naruto. Killing someone, changes a person."

The boy gave a nod and said nothing.

"How are you getting on with it?" Kakashi wasn't chiding him, and didn't seem to be prying very hard.

"I'll do my duty even if it means doing it again." The boy continued his work on his blade. He finished up the laces and checked the blade over for spots of blood he might have missed. He seemed satisfied, and started working a sharpening stone down the edge with care and precision. After a few strokes, he took great care flicking his thumb against the edge and put it away. Without speaking, he took one of the bear traps out of his bag. The blond boy flipped it over, and started taking it apart, cleaning dirt and debris from the joints, and wiping blood from the teeth with a worn looking towel.

Kakashi gave a nod. "I see."

The boy looked up from his work. "Don't worry, sensei. I'll be fine. I know my job, and I'll do it well."

The Jounin seemed cheerful. "Glad to hear it." He stood up and went back inside.

Naruto continued his work in silence. He wasn't worried about making a bit of noise, and the parts and pieces of his weapons clanked a little as he worked. He turned his head and arched his eyebrow as Sasuke sat beside him.

"Uzumaki."

"Uchiha."

The dark haired boy turned to frown at him. "Good job, I guess. What's the deal with you anyway? You were never like this before. At the academy you were nothing, just some loser. All of a sudden, you're rushing out being a hero. Making us look bad."

Naruto shook his head. "You're wrong. I've always been this way. You just never noticed, and that's not an accident."

Sasuke's eyes grew harder. He growled a little and clenched his fist. The Uchiha boy stopped and looked a bit surprised when Naruto put his hand on his shoulder.

"Cut it out. I'm not competing with you. This isn't a contest, it's a job. We're working together, remember that. If we start worrying about who's outdoing who, it's going to get one of us killed."

Uchiha snorted and brushed his hand off. "You mean me? What, you don't think I'm good enough?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. I'm not invincible. You knew not to give away my position by replying, but you stuck to the plan. Keep it up."

The black haired boy turned away frowning, but didn't leave. "Who put you in charge?"

The blond boy gave a small sigh. "What's with you all of a sudden? You seem jealous. You've managed to become the most popular boy in our age group, despite being an emo dipshit most of the time. I'm no threat to you."

Sasuke whirled around and growled at him. "I'm not jealous of you! Quit showing us up! Kakashi sensei told us to stay out of that."

Naruto frowned. "I didn't stick my neck out you know. I was in the river with Tazuna, getting him out of harms way. Our job is to protect him, not to kill that Jounin." He put the cleaned out bear trap back in his bag and pulled another out. "Quit thinking about yourself. This is a team. I know by us, you mean you."

Sasuke grabbed his collar. "I'll kick your butt Uzumaki."

The blond shinobi just looked at him. "What good will that do you? We're still stuck here with the same orders. Relax. We'll get the job done. All of us are Genin. We get paid the same no matter which of us does the most."

"Right." Sasuke let him go and snorted. He was frustrated, and wanted to punch the kid. "So, we just wait around?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. I'm gonna find this Gatou, and try and figure out how to get rid of him."

The Uchiha boy's eyes went wide. "What?"

Uzumaki nodded and kept his voice low. "Even if that Zabuza character is dead, that guy will just hire someone else to kill Tazuna. The best way to keep him safe so he can get that bridge finished, is to get rid of that jerk."

Sasuke frowned. "I guess that makes sense. Kakashi sensei didn't say anything about that."

Naruto nodded. "Going to attack him head on is stupid. If he's got someone like that Zabuza working for him, then he's got lots of protection. I'm good at not being seen. None of you could sneak in without being noticed. I'm not sure I could really. I want to get a look and find out for myself, and then work out a plan from there." The blond boy shrugged. "I'm not so sure I want to sneak into some palace or something myself. Maybe I can find him outside, figure out a way to get to him when his guard is down, or at least lessened."

Sasuke nodded. "So, we'll ask around then."

Uzumaki shook his head. "No way. This guy is rich and powerful. He'll notice if someone is walking around asking questions. I'll send some Kage Bunshin into the village and listen around. From what I heard, he's got lots of thugs working for him. It shouldn't be too hard to find a couple and follow them around. I can see about finding some information by listening in, and maybe sneaking some intel."

The Uchiha boy shifted his eyes. "Does Kakashi know about this?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. Don't worry, I'm just doing some scouting for now. Like I said, I need to find out more about this guy first. I'm better at shadowing people and staying out of sight than you or Sakura."

"I want in." Sasuke growled.

Naruto gave a sigh. "I'm not sure how. You might have been able to get in as a spy if we hadn't run into that unknown nin. They might know you now." He glanced over at his fellow Genin. "Besides, you can't make shadow clones and sneak off like I can. Your job is to help guard Tazuna. You're better in a face to face fight than I am. I never would have attacked Zabuza head on that way. He'd have cut me in half for sure."

The Uchiha boy shook his head. "So? I'm tired of watching you make me look bad. I trained to be a ninja too you know."

Naruto nodded. "I specialize in assassination and espionage though. You're a strong fighter, but this is my sort of work. I've no interest in looking my opponent in the eyes. My aim, is to stab them in the back when they aren't paying attention." He looked up at the clouds and finished up cleaning the last bear trap. "I'll probably end up in the ANBU when I'm older."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "You're not leaving me behind Uzumaki. I want to be a strong ninja too. I've got to be."

The blond boy looked down at the Kunai he was wiping off with his rag. "So you can kill someone? Have your personal revenge? You're impatient, and very angry. That's why you act like you do to other people."

Sasuke growled. "What's it to you?"

Naruto flipped the weapon over and placed it in his bag, pulling out another to clean. "It makes me not trust you. The moment you see the chance to get what you want, you'll abandon your team to get it. Even if it means getting us killed." He polished the blade and looked at what he was doing. "It makes you dangerous. It isn't your skill or your strength that's in doubt here."

Sasuke was giving him an enraged glare. "I meant what I said. You're not leaving me behind this time. I'm sick of watching you do all the work. I've trained too you know."

Naruto snorted. "Figure out how to make a Kage Bunshin and I'll see what use I can make of you. A regular clone won't do, and we can't just run off."

He frowned a little as he saw Sasuke's lip turn up a bit. "Fine. We'll talk about it later."

The Uzumaki boy didn't like the expression. "Heh. This should be over with by the time he figures it out. If he ever manages to figure it out."

OooOOooOO

Zabuza sat upright. The masked Ninja was sitting over his body and was reaching for the needles in his neck. The Nin hunter didn't seem alarmed as he gripped her hand. "I'll pull them out myself."

"Zabuza, you shouldn't be so rough. You'll really kill yourself if you're not careful." The masked nin expressed a bit of worry. "You really would have been killed if I hadn't put you in temporary death."

The older ninja glanced at the young nin. "What's with the mask? Get rid of it would you?"

The young male nin took it off, revealing a girlish face that smiled at him in a warm manner. "It reminds me of the old days, and it was useful for this act."

"You're annoying as always. Couldn't you have hit a safer acupuncture point?" The man tossed the two weapons aside with a careless flick of his wrist and rubbed at the back of his head.

His young companion nodded. "You're right. I'm just a kid." He sat back and gave him a bit more room. "I didn't want to scar your beautiful body, and there isn't much muscle in the neck. It's easier to hit the acupuncture points there. You won't be able to move right for about a week."

"Haku, you're so pure and clever, that's what I like about you." Zabuza seemed grateful and pleased.

The boy nodded and looked out into the wood surrounding them. "The mist has cleared."

The older nin nodded. "Yes. I'm going to need your help. I wasn't expecting two Jounin."

Haku seemed surprised. "Two?"

Zabuza gave another slow nod as he leaned over his knees. "Yes. Kakashi the Copy Ninja, and another I don't know. I never got a good look at him."

The boy frowned. "I only saw Kakashi, and three Genin."

Mamochi growled. "No. The one in black, he's no Genin. The other two brats should be easy. Kakashi and that other boy are dangerous."

Haku smiled. "He's just a boy."

Zabuza looked up at his young companion. "So are you."

His pretty young companion seemed to think about it. "I see. Will you be all right?"

The injured man nodded. "I'll destroy Kakashi and the Sharingan. We'll have to force the other one out. He'll stay hidden, and strike from the shadows. He's very skilled. Don't take him lightly. The other two should pose no problems. We might not need to kill them, our target is Tazuna. We'll have to go through Kakashi and this new Jounin to get to him. Naruto, I think that's what they called him."

Haku nodded. "I don't know that name. Are you certain he's a Jounin? He wasn't wearing a vest, just a forehead protector."

Zabuza growled. "No Genin I've ever seen could have pulled off what he did. Even if he's not, he's as dangerous as Kakashi, maybe more." He rubbed at the scar on his cheek. "Most of my injuries came from him, and I almost didn't avoid that mine he planted." He looked over at Haku. The boy was looking at the ground with his fists balled up. "He won't face us head on. We'll need to draw him out somehow. He's like me, an expert in silent killing. That one has blood on his hands."

Haku gave a short nod. "I see. I didn't see him until he saved Kakashi from your Water Prison Jutsu. It was the only time I noticed him at all."

Zabuza looked surprised. "You were watching the fight?"

The boy gave a nod, his eyes were a little wide. "Yes. From the moment it started."

The man gave a small chuckle. "Then you see what I mean. I was focused on Kakashi, and it almost killed me. That one was using that to his advantage. He's very clever, and good at not being seen. I couldn't sense him, hear him, or see him until he made a strike, and he vanished as soon as he did."

Haku frowned and glared forward. "I see. I've never heard of such a Jutsu. Not in Konoha, or anywhere else."

Zabuza let his young companion help him up and carry his weight on his shoulder. "I'm very interested to find out what sort of technique it is. I almost thought it was Kakashi and that damned eye of his."

The boy started walking him away from the wood and towards the village. "Perhaps it was?"

Momochi shook his head. "No. That boy, he's very strong. It seems I've got to make a new entry into my notebook. I've not got much to write yet, but he's a worthy opponent. It's going to be a difficult fight, and we need to be ready."

Haku gave another nod. "You need your strength. We'll speak about it later."

OooOOooOO

The three Genin sat around Kakashi. He was leaning against the wall just inside the door while the children looked up at him. "Seeing as we've got some down time I suppose we should get some training done."

Sakura looked confused. "Training?"

Naruto and Sasuke were both attentive, but silent.

"Naruto noticed something after the fight that I should have realized right away. Hunter Nin should dispose of the body right away. It wouldn't matter that the three of you were so young to one of them. A hunter wouldn't care much about how comfortable you were with seeing it. I'm sure Naruto already suspects, but I doubt Zabuza is really dead."

The girl and Sasuke both looked surprised. Naruto was calm and hung his head a bit.

Sakura spoke up first. "But, Sensei! You said he was dead."

"Yes. I did. However, a Hunter Nin would know a lot about the human body, and those weapons he used. The needles have a low probability of killing an opponent unless they hit a vital organ." The man crossed his arms and lowered his head in thought.

Sasuke gasped. "N-no way!"

The Jounin gave a serious nod. "I'm afraid so."

Haruno looked at her fellow Genin. "But, what good will a little training do us?"

Kakashi seemed to cheer up. "Well, you're all improving. I wasn't the one who got me out of that Jutsu. All of you working together accomplished that." He chuckled at Sakura's expression. "You won't be able to defeat him without me. So, don't worry. A person who is put into a death trance will take a while to recover. We've probably got a week or so to get ready."

Naruto gave a nod. "Sounds fun. Better than sitting around in here waiting."

The door slid open and a young boy of about ten walked into the room. "That's not fun."

The hooded boy looked over his shoulder and frowned at the sullen looking boy. "It is if I enjoy it. Just because you don't like that sort of thing doesn't mean I have to hate it."

Tazuna perked up. "Inari! Where have you been!"

"Welcome back, Grandpa." He shuffled over to the old man's side.

His mother moved over and smiled at him. "Inari. Say hello to the ninja that protected Grandpa!"

He looked up at the woman. "But, Mom. They're going to die."

Sasuke and Sakura were frowning at the young boy and looking disgusted. Naruto's face was hidden by his scarf. The hooded boy spoke up. "What makes you say that? You don't know us. What would you know of it?"

The boy looked at the floor. "There's no way you can win against Gatou."

Sasuke and Sakura turned away from the kid. Naruto stood up and walked over to Inari, squatting down in front of him. "What do you know of Gatou?"

The boy glared at him. "Why? Do you think you're some kind of hero or something?"

Naruto seemed cheerful and shook his head. "Not at all. I'm an assassin, a spy, and we're getting paid to protect your grandfather. Getting to people like this Gatou is what I do. What do you know about him?"

The boy got a little wide eyed. "What?"

Kakashi put his face in his hand and sighed.

The blond shinobi was being quite cheerful with the boy. "This Gatou, he's hired people like us to hurt your Grandfather, the more I know, the better I can do my job. He's very lucky he paid us first."

The boy's frown deepened. "Maybe you should go work for him. He's strong, and rich, and he's gonna kill you all."

The young shinobi stood upright and dusted off his knees. "I've already taken this job, and I'll finish it or die. Once I've agreed to do a job, I can't be bought or bargained with. There's more to life than money."

Inari seemed surprised, but didn't cheer up. "Like what?"

Naruto turned his back on the boy. "Duty."

The boy didn't seem impressed. "Duty will get you killed. I learned that a long time ago."

Naruto walked back towards Kakashi. "I'd rather die for something, than of something. You can sit here and pout if you want. I've got work to do."

The boy hung his head and shuffled off towards one of the back rooms.

His mother looked a bit alarmed, and glanced at her grandfather in a nervous manner. The old man had a serious look on his face as he took a few gulps from the bottle in his hand. She looked towards her son. "Inari! Where are you going?"

The boy glanced back at her with his sullen frown. "I'm going to look at the ocean from my room."

Naruto stood by the door waiting for his team. They were all giving him odd looks as Kakashi moved by the door. The Jounin patted Naruto on the shoulder as he moved by without looking down at him.

As he started walking out of the house, he glanced over his shoulder at the trio, Naruto in particular. He was becoming more and more interested in meeting these strange men who had trained the boy. He also suspected Naruto was up to something already. After they left the home, he moved up to the boy's side. "Why are you so interested in Gatou?"

The hooded boy didn't look up at him. "Know your enemy, and know yourself, and you need not fear the outcome of a thousand battles."

Kakashi nodded and thought about that. "That's pretty wise. Where did you hear it?"

Naruto looked up at him and blinked. He jogged back to the bag by the door of the house and rummaged through his bag for a moment. Kakashi and the two Genin watched in silence as he came back and handed Kakashi a scroll. "You might like this."

The Jounin looked surprised as he peered down at Naruto's handwriting. It was a very large scroll, thick and heavy in his hand. In large Kanji on the outside of the scroll was the title. "The Art of War, and the Book of Five Rings." The author credited was 'Uzumaki Naruto'. "Well, it seems I've got something to do once I get them started." He looked down at his side and was a little surprised to find the boy still there. "What is this?"

He looked up a the man. "My path. We will not fail. I won't allow it."

Sakura and Sasuke both looked surprised.

The Haruno girl moved up to his side. "What is it?"

Sasuke didn't look very interested, but stayed close by.

"A way to defeat opponents who are both stronger, and greater in number." He moved ahead of them and vanished into the brush.

OooOOooOO

Naruto didn't appear again until they stopped in a grove of trees.

Kakashi stood in front of them. "We're going to train your Ninja ability. The use of Chakra."

"Huh?" Naruto seemed confused. "We can already do that."

Sasuke nodded. "Naruto is right. We can already use Jutsu."

The man shook his head. "Nope. You're not using your Chakra properly." He looked at the confused trio. "You're not using it effectively. Even if you're able to use a high amount of Chakra, unless you control it properly, the jutsu will be weakened, or not work at all. By wasting energy, you won't be able to fight as long."

Naruto gave a small snort and nodded. "Yeah. So what do we do?"

Kakashi seemed to cheer up again. "Learn to control it, through very tough training of course."

Sakura looked a bit nervous. "So what are we going to do?"

Kakashi leaned forward. "Tree climbing."

OooOOooOO

A short time later, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke found themselves running up the sides of trees.

Kakashi had given a demonstration, and walked up the side of a tree without the use of his hands, or gripping with his feet.

Sasuke was putting dents in the tree trunk, Naruto was running up and sliding down without getting very far, and Sakura was making it higher up than either of them. They all had Kunai knives, and were cutting slashes into the bark at the high mark of their progress.

Sakura was sitting high up on a branch looking pleased with herself. "This pretty easy."

Naruto and Sasuke both looked up at her.

Kakashi chuckled. "Looks like Sakura is the best at this. Seems like Naruto and Sasuke are the ones who need to catch up for once."

The boys looked at each other and up at their instructor as he gave them a light taunting. "Guess the Uchiha clan isn't so impressive. I'm surprised Naruto, you can't do something as simple as this?"

The blond boy sat up from his rear on the ground and looked up at the man. He looked as calm as ever, and glanced up at Sakura. He walked around his tree, seeming to look it up and down before returning to his spot in front of it.

Sasuke was watching this as he took a moment to rest. The black haired boy gave a smirk and looked up at his own tree again. "Heh." He was getting much higher up than Naruto.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was flat on his back a couple of hours later with a frustrated frown on his face. "Ouch." He sat up and scratched his head. He was worn out, and Sakura was giggling at him nearby. He wasn't in the best mood. "What's so funny?"

She turned her nose up. "You look as worn out as I am. Finally found something you're not good at huh?" His tree marks didn't go very high, there was a bunch of them up to about eight or nine feet high. "Sasuke is still going. He's got a lot more stamina than you."

The blond boy nodded. "I noticed. Got any tips?"

The girl looked surprised. "Huh?"

He gave her what she guessed was a smile under his scarf. "I'm gonna figure this out you know. Might take a bit though." He didn't want to say anything to anyone, but he wasn't even trying to do what Sasuke and Sakura were doing.

Naruto wasn't interested in creating some sort of constant Chakra stream to his feet. He was trying to do it the moment his feet touched the bark, and then stop and shut it down again the instant his foot lost contact. It was proving more difficult than he'd anticipated. He'd had enough limited success to figure out it was possible, but it was eluding him. He needed to take a break for a bit anyway, he was as worn out as she was and having a bit of trouble keeping on his feet.

OooOOooOO

Kakashi was looking at the scroll Naruto had given him. To say he was surprised was a bit of an understatement. It was battle tactics, genius level warfare tactics. It spoke of the use of troops, spies, assassins, facing single opponents, groups, superior forces, using deception, terrain, and weapons such as fire, arrows, catapults, and other engines of war. Ways to take advantage of situations, and advanced philosophy. "That kid...wrote this?"

He didn't know that while Naruto was the 'author' of the scroll. He'd taken dictation, memorized, and been taught the meanings behind the words through examples, and training. He was well versed, and had been the first to write them down on that world. His two instructors had pretty much forced him to take credit.

He was halfway through the second portion of the scroll, in the Book of Five Rings. It was nowhere near what he'd been expecting. The fight against Zabuza made a lot more sense now. He could see where the words he was reading had been practically applied. It was astounding, and a work of pure genius.

One thing he was sure of, he was going to have another talk with the Hokage when he reached Konoha again. This was beyond anything he'd been expecting. Naruto had a lot to learn it seemed. His progress when he'd left them on their own was a testament to that. Still, it seemed he also had a lot to teach. He was wondering just how much the old man knew about this. Something the Hokage had said during their last conversation came back to him.

"One day, he will become a Jounin, and have students of his own..."

OooOOooOO

The next day Naruto Uzumaki was running through the forest. He wasn't doing it on the ground, but by running along the sides, under, and on top of tree branches, jumping across to other branches as he ran out of room to sprint, and continuing on his way across the top of the forest canopy.

His feet became charged with enough chakra to hold him in place as soon as his feet touched the branches when he was under or on the side of the bark, but it vanished the moment his foot came off, or when he was running upright on top of the branches. He chuckled as he looked down at Sasuke and himself.

His other self was staying just behind Sasuke's progress, running up the tree, keeping pace just behind the Uchiha boy. "Heh. Sucker."

"Going somewhere, Uzumaki?" The clone froze, turned his eyes up in surprise. Sasuke was sitting on the branch across from him. His eyes were different though.

"Sharingan."

Uchiha nodded. "Yup. I can make a Shadow Clone now, thanks to you."

The blond boy scratched his head. "Hmm, seems you've been holding out on me."

Sasuke looked down at his other self working on running up the side of the tree. He'd had to climb with his hands to reach Naruto's clone. The Uzumaki boy hadn't been trying very hard to hide himself so high up. "I can tell you're confused. I noticed you walking around the tree earlier. I figured you were going to sneak off and head for the village. I'm a bit surprised. You made ten clones, but none of them left the woods. All of you sneaked off and started doing the same training about a half a mile from here. What the hell is up with that?"

"Well, I'm impressed. I didn't think I needed to try very hard to sneak off. I figured everyone was paying attention to the real me, and wouldn't notice." Naruto gave a sigh and nodded. He seemed cheerful though. "I'll have to be more careful in the future. Still..."

Sasuke frowned at him and crossed his arms. "Why would you do something like that? Shadow Clones should be able to do anything you can. You don't need to train them."

Naruto gave a shrug. "Yeah, well. I guess there's no harm in telling you. I'll always be able to make more than you. Give me a second. I'll be right back." He vanished in a puff of smoke.

The Naruto on the ground landed on his rear and scratched his head. He glanced over at Sasuke, hung his head, and walked over next to his tree.

The Uchiha boy looked on as his other self got annoyed and stopped working.

The real Sasuke frowned. "What do you want?"

"Listen. We just had a talk you and I. I want you to break your Jutsu."

The black haired boy seemed irritated. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Naruto leaned against the tree. "I know about your clone. Break the jutsu, and you'll get it. If you've got half a brain anyway."

Sasuke gave him a dark looking smirk. "Finally figured that out did you?"

His companion seemed a bit annoyed for a moment. "Well, it's kind of hard to be sneaky when there's ten of me running up the side of an entire grove of trees. Break your stupid jutsu. There's something you asked about."

The Uchiha boy seemed confused. "I didn't ask you anything."

"Just shut up and do it." Naruto looked away with his arms crossed.

Sasuke's eyes got a little wide. "Huh? Oh. So what? What's this prove?"

"I can memorize a hundred lines in a book in ten minutes, if I just give a hundred clones one line and have him memorize it on his own." Naruto seemed cheerful.

Sasuke's eyes went a little wide. "That doesn't explain what you were doing..."

Naruto shook his head and snorted. "You dope. I've been running around the tree branches overhead for hours now. You're only halfway up this tree."

The Uchiha boy's eyes went out of focus for a minute. "Hey...what? No way!"

Naruto nodded and looked at his own tree. "Yup. I've been faking barely keeping up with you for a while now. It's as if I've been doing it for more than a week now already. Ten clones doing the same thing for one day, is the same as ten days of training."

Sasuke frowned and shifted his eyes away. "I can only make two at a time."

The blond hooded boy shrugged. "Yeah. Well, I can do a couple hundred. I think it's got something to do with that Demon Fox that's inside me. Thing is, it kind of uses up my stamina and chakra to make them, the more I make, the faster I get tired. If you can only make two, you're better off training with just one." He grinned at his fellow Genin. "I figured it out right after I learned how to do it."

The Uchiha boy looked confused for a moment, and seemed to react as if he was surprised. He didn't speak and just stared at his fellow Genin.

It had been Ken who had figured it out, but there was no point in saying anything about it. No one seemed to believed in his two invisible friends anyway. He'd been playing Shogi with Ryu with one of his clones. Ken was doing physical training with him at the same time. They'd done it to test the intelligence of the clone after they'd noticed Naruto conversing with them. Once the clone had reported the results of the game to Ken, they'd figured the rest out pretty fast. That was about two days after he'd learned the technique.

Sasuke nodded. "I think I get it. As long as we're both still doing this..."

Naruto nodded. "We're not stopping until you get it. I'm gonna go and scout the village ahead. You and your clone can keep doing this. It will be easier to slip away if we're helping guard Tazuna, and you'll learn it twice as fast if you've got a clone helping you out."

The Uchiha boy looked angry for a moment.

"Relax. I just want to get the lay of the land. You should have this by tomorrow with both of you working. You're most of the way there as it is. Then, we can start looking for this Gatou jerk."

Sasuke clenched his fist and glared at it. "Right. The sooner we get rid of him, the safer Tazuna will be, and the faster he'll finish that bridge of his so we can go home."

Naruto gave a nod. "I'm the stealth expert here. You're just support. I'll worry about taking him out."

The Uchiha boy growled. "What? You think I can't?"

The hooded boy shook his head. "Not without alerting everyone within a half mile that you're there. I saw that fireball you tossed at Kakashi during that bell test from halfway across the forest." He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "I don't care if you want to prove yourself. Our mission is to get rid of one man as quietly as possible, not fight our way through any security he might have on the way in or out, not to mention whatever law enforcement the village might have." He gave the Uchiha boy a nod as he lowered his eyes and calmed a little. "Those eyes of yours might prove useful. You're not good enough at not being seen, or being quiet, to pull it off. I am."

Sasuke seemed to relent and nodded. "All right. What is the plan then?"

Naruto leaned back against the tree again. "First, we find out what we're dealing with. Learn his habits, figure out his movements, who can get to him, his friends, people who work for him, where he hangs out. Then, once we know all that we look at all the information, and decide what strategy puts us at the least risk, while giving him the least chance of escape. We're not going to jump in and try to punch him in the face the moment we spot him. That would only make a mess, and would probably get at least one of us killed."

Sasuke nodded. "After that, we strike?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, after that, we go to Kakashi sensei with our plan. Taking initiative is one thing, assassinating someone like Gatou without our superior's knowledge or approval is something else. I don't want to end up in jail when we get back to Konoha." The hooded shinobi seemed calm as he looked up at his tree. "We go to him with a solid plan, and then he decides if we strike. I'm not an independent entity you know. He's the Jounin here, he's in charge. I'm not stepping on his toes. Taking initiative when we were ambushed is one thing. Doing things like this on our own can be dangerous to the village, not just us."

The Uchiha boy looked surprised. He seemed to think about it and nodded. "Right."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: Spies Like Us.


	6. Chapter 6

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 6

Spies like us.

OooOOooOO

In a mansion sized hut hanging from the trees hidden within the forests of the Wave Country, Gatou, an old man with wild white hair, walked into an open room with a bed in it's center without fear. He was flanked by two Samurai guards. He was as short as the boy Haku, who was standing over the bedridden Zabuza, nursing him back to health. The old man was wearing an expensive black suit, and a pair of sunglasses as he walked across the large open room.

"So, even you've come back defeated. The Mist nin are pretty pathetic. You couldn't even avenge your own men, and you call yourself a devil?" The evil man gave a rough snort. "Don't make me laugh."

He moved up beside Zabuza and reached for him. "Hey. No need to be silent."

Haku snapped out with his hands, grabbing the old man's wrist in a painful bone crunching grip. "Don't touch Zabuza with your dirty hands!"

The two samurai drew their swords, and before they realized what had happened, they were frozen in shock and looking very nervous. The young boy had twisted their wrists, and they found themselves holding their blades against their own throats. Haku didn't look at either one of them as he stood between them. "You shouldn't do that. I'm pissed off as it is."

Gatou stepped back cradling his arm. "Enough. If you fail again, you won't be welcome here." He and his men turned to leave and the two nin found themselves alone.

Zabuza had a kunai in his grip under the sheets. "Haku, you didn't have to..."

The boy smiled at him. "I know. We must be patient, it's not time to kill Gatou yet."

The man relaxed into his pillow. "You're right."

OooOOooOO

Tazuna smiled as Sakura stretched her arms and yawned. "You look bored. You and your friends don't seem to talk much." Sasuke was nearby, looking out over the water with his arms folded over his chest. He was watching the city in the distance on the other side of the river and didn't seem to notice much of what was going on around them.

Naruto was all over the bridge, there were about seven of him, carrying boards and building equipment about on his shoulders as he moved by. Most of the workers didn't seem bothered by it, for the most part because they never noticed more than one of him at a time. They gave him cheerful smiles as he helped them work, delivered water, and went about it in silence. The boy seemed cheerful, and not bothered by the effort he was putting out on their behalf.

"Tazuna, sir." One of the workers approached. He was an older man, and looked saddened.

The old man wiped his forehead with a towel hanging from his shoulders under his hardhat. "Eh? What is it Giichi?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while now. I want to stop working on the bridge." His worker shifted his eyes away and looked ashamed.

"Eh? This is so sudden. What is it?" The bridge builder frowned, but seemed familiar with the conversation.

The man hung his head even lower. "We've been close for a long time. I want to help, but if you die, what's the point? If Gatou notices us, he'll kill you."

Naruto put his hand on the man's shoulder. "He already has. Why do you think we're here? Tazuna won't die."

The man looked surprised, Tazuna did as well. The boy had an armload of boards on his shoulder. He didn't look angry, but was very serious.

"W-what?" Giichi was surprised by his sudden appearance.

Uzumaki shook his head. "Even if he dies and we fail, this bridge should be finished. Seeing all of you work on it, and realizing how long it took you to get this far..."

Sakura had a grin on her face. "He's right! Even without Tazuna, you shouldn't let this dream die! You should still finish the bridge. If you've gotten this far, all of you should know how to finish, even without him!" She pumped her arm and gave him a confident pose.

The man's jaw was hanging. Tazuna had a warm smile on his face as he put his hand on her shoulder.

Naruto gave a nod. "That's right. This Gatou is an evil man. If you let evil run rampant and unchecked, then you'll suffer more than if you die fighting it. I've seen what's on the other end of this bridge, the suffering and poverty there. If that man wins, it won't stop. You'll just be crushed under his boot for the rest of your lives."

Giichi looked away and brushed his hand off. "At least we'll be alive."

Naruto nodded. "If that is your way so be it. I'd rather die on my feet, than live on my knees." He walked away with his armload of building materials.

Sasuke had his head turned towards his fellow Genin with a frown on his face. He gave Naruto an unreadable gaze. His teammate bothered him a little, he'd said something that disturbed him and didn't seem to realize it. He'd thought about it, but hadn't said anything to anyone. 'It's got something to do with that demon fox that's inside me'. He wasn't quite sure what the boy had meant, but something in his own past made it hard to forget. Something he'd discovered after his brother had left, just after he'd murdered everyone in his clan but him. A secret of the Uchiha clan. He tried to push it from his mind. It was difficult to do though. He closed his eyes and forced them away, looking at the village in the distance again.

Tazuna started to speak, he looked a bit saddened. "Giichi...it's almost lunch, let's stop."

The man lifted his head up, his jaw was tight and tears were in his eyes. "No. I'm not hungry. I'm behind, and I've got a lot to do if I want to catch up. Forgive me for bothering you." He bowed his head and turned away.

Sakura was beaming with her own eyes tearing up a little. She kept her face dry with a bit of effort. "Right. I guess I should help out too. I'm just standing here, and Sasuke is right there." She rushed over and took a bucket of nails into her arms as she rushed off to aid the working men.

Tazuna turned his head away, unable to hide his grin. "Thanks, kid."

OooOOooOO

Sakura walked beside Tazuna as the man strolled through the streets of the village. "I'm supposed to bring home some food. It was supposed to be for lunch, but we worked a bit longer than I expected today."

The girl grinned and nodded at him. Her face fell again as she looked about. People had their heads hung low, children were sitting on the street corners huddled and dirty. The market was full of empty shelves with a few scraps in the bins. "There's almost nothing to buy." She felt a hand on her rear as someone tried to put steal something from the bag that hung from her shoulder. She spun around and kicked the man dead in the face. He was sprawled across the ground and scrambled away. "Pervert!"

Tazuna gave a heavy sigh and hung his head a bit.

"What's with this place?" The girl seemed disturbed by the faces of the people around her. No one was smiling, everyone had their heads held low.

The old man glanced at her. "It's been this way since Gatou came. That's why we need the bridge. It's a symbol of courage, and it can bring back better times to this place."

Sakura felt someone tug at her rear again. She got annoyed for a moment, but instead of an adult grabbing at her, she found a dirty young child with open empty hands held out towards her. She didn't have money, but loaded the child's hands with candies from her bag. The child's face lit up and she rushed away.

Tazuna didn't notice and kept talking. "The adults have lost hope. I'm grateful for your friend Naruto's words. What you saw on that bridge today was something I've not seen in years. A glimmer of hope."

The kunoichi flushed as she looked up at the roof and saw a familiar face looking down at her. Naruto's scarf vanished onto the rooftops again, and she smiled.

The old man gave her a grin as he rested the small bag of groceries onto his elbow. "I feel I can succeed with the four of you keeping watch over me. I feel young again somehow. It's very strange."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke and Naruto were looking out over the rooftops. The black haired boy was using a pair of binoculars with a pen in his hand as he leaned over the tiles and scribbled on a sheet of paper.

"Well, Gatou's hideout isn't in the village." Naruto glanced at his companion. "I followed a couple of guys into a bar, and they were talking about a place in the woods north of here. Seems there's something going on. He's looking for strong men to hire for some sort of job soon. A lot of them."

The Uchiha boy nodded as he put the pen into his shirt and looked over what he'd just written. "Here. Take a look at this."

Naruto frowned. They'd been tailing two such men who had just arrived in town. Sasuke was copying what a bartender had written down to give to the two armed and tough looking men. He was watching through a window, and using his Sharingan to copy what he was writing.

The hooded boy grinned at him. "Useful trick that."

Sasuke shrugged. "Never thought of using it that way before. I spotted him handing out notes to a few more new arrivals earlier. I was going to just act like I was looking for work myself."

Naruto shrugged. "Might not have worked. We're pretty young, and neither one of us looks very strong."

Sasuke shrugged. "I guess you're right. There's some sort of meeting soon. It's a big secret, and it's nowhere near that place in the woods you're talking about."

Uzumaki was looking the note over. "It's almost time, on the docks. Nowhere near the bridge either."

The raven haired boy glanced at his companion. "You think Gatou will be there?"

The blond ninja shrugged. "He might be. We should check it out. If he is, I'll see if I can follow him back to this base of his. It seems to be where he hangs out. I don't think staying in the village is safe for him. No one seems to like him, even though he's hired lots of guards."

Sasuke gave a short nod in agreement. "This place is awful. It's dirty and run down, not much food, and everyone is poor."

Naruto looked at his fellow Genin and then down at the note. "Yes. We're not here to be heroes and save them. Just might be a fortunate side effect."

The Uchiha boy didn't look back at him. "You're right. Still, if Gatou is there, shouldn't we just..."

The shinobi shook his head. "Nope. Especially considering all these armed jerks he's getting together. I should be able to get in easily with my sword. You don't even look armed. It might draw attention."

"Well, I'm not going back yet." Sasuke seemed a little irate.

His companion sighed. "Quit being a jerk for no reason. Look, you keep watch outside. I'm sending a clone in. If Zabuza or that other nin show up, I won't die if I get attacked."

The raven haired Genin frowned. "They may be on to us if you get spotted."

Naruto smirked. "I'm not planning on getting spotted. Besides, I got a weird feeling Zabuza won't be there. It's only been three days."

"Right. So what am I looking for?" Sasuke glanced at his teammate.

"If Gatou leaves before I come out, I want you to tail him, at least until I catch up. Keep your distance. We just want to know where he's going. There's no need to get close." Naruto slapped the boy on his back. "I've got about ten more clones running about the village right now. I don't want to over do it and wear myself out before we find out where he is, so you take care of it."

Uchiha looked annoyed, but let the gesture pass. "Right. What are you going to do?"

"Henge..." An ugly Samurai appeared before Sasuke and jumped down from the roof after snatching the note from Sasuke.

"Heh. I get it." He followed after the disguised Naruto above him, jumping from roof to roof over the streets unnoticed.

OooOOooOO

Naruto knocked on the door with a scowl on his face. His sword was resting on his shoulder and he looked very unpleasant. The man who answered didn't look much better. "What is it?"

The boy's lips turned up into a cruel looking smirk. "I heard there's good paying work here."

The man frowned and didn't open the door. "You should have gotten a reference. I gotta see it if you want in."

The disguised nin held up his note. The man snatched it, looked it over and nodded. He recognized the handwriting. "Right. Come in, and don't start any trouble. You'll have plenty of chance for that later. Once the job is done, we get to have our way with this shit hole."

Naruto gave a nod. "Sounds like my kind of job."

The man seemed to cheer up, but still looked very cruel as he opened the door. There were more than a hundred men sitting about the bar, hanging on the rafters, filling the tables, lining the walls, and standing about. Many of them had drinks. All of them were armed. The man who let him in looked him up and down. "Glad to hear it. You look like you'll be useful. Want a drink?"

The nin shook his head. "I'll have my fun after I get paid."

The ugly balding man with a large club on his back nodded. "I can respect that. We'll be getting our instructions in a few minutes. Hang around and relax."

Naruto nodded and took an open spot on the wall between two large bulky men with many scars and fewer teeth. He closed his eyes and waited with his eyes on the stage on one side of the room.

After a moment, an old man flanked by two tough looking Samurai appeared. He was dressed in a black suit, one of his arms was bandaged, and he had a walking cane in his good hand. One of the two men guarding him was wearing a long coat and a knit cap over long hair. The other was much bigger, and had body tattoos and a bare chest with loose pants. He glared at the room and grinned, tapping a cane on the stage floor to silence the room. It worked and he coughed to clear his throat.

"All right. Listen up. This job is top secret, no one knows about what you're about to hear." He waved his bandaged arm and the samurai beside him uncovered a picture of Tazuna. "This man must die. He's offended me." He took a moment and smiled. "You probably won't have to kill him. I've got other help taking care of it. Your job..." The two men with him uncovered two more pictures as Gatou continued to speak. "...is these two."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the young girlish looking boy, and Zabuza.

Gatou looked over the silent crowd. "The Devil Zabuza, and his companion Haku. Very dangerous."

The young nin noticed a fearful hush of silence about the room.

The wealthy man strolled back and fourth across the stage. "Don't worry though, it won't be as hard as it sounds." He pointed at Tazuna. "You see, this one, has hired a powerful shinobi from the Leaf Village to protect him. The Copy Nin, Kakashi. In two days, they will fight, and your job is to clean up the mess. Whoever survives, either Kakashi, and a couple of bratty students, or Zabuza, and his boy toy. It doesn't matter, they'll be weakened by the battle, and they'll be easy targets. Once the job is finished, you'll all get a thousand, and you get you have your way with this village. Just to make sure they don't try something so stupid again. Once it's over, I'll have a demolition team take care of that pathetic bridge, and we'll all be back in business. Impress me, and you might find regular work."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and said nothing. He looked about the grinning faces in the room and copied the expression. Greed was thick in the air, and malice with it.

"We'll gather on the edge of town in two days. Zabuza and his brat will be too busy dealing with those Leaf nin to notice. Until then, you'll have to stay in the camp we've set up west of here. Anyone who tries to leave will be killed immediately. It's already too late to leave." The boy glanced over and noticed the doors being locked.

None of the men looked alarmed, but a few were annoyed.

Gatou smiled at them. "Don't worry. You'll all be paid well if you survive. It's still less than these two useless missing nin want. You don't have to worry about the Mist nin being upset with you either. Both of these scum are nothing more than homosexual criminals, and are a disgrace to their village." He waved his arm. "Bartender, drinks for everyone on the house until they move on. You'll be taken to the camp this evening, once the sun sets. Until then, enjoy my hospitality." The magnate turned to walk off the stage to the back room.

Naruto accepted the mug that was shoved into his hand with a cruel looking grin on his face. His eyes were hard and angry. It wasn't very hard to fake.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke watched as Gatou walked out of the bar from the back entrance. He grinned and kept low. He had a kunai in his grip, but put it away as he noticed them walking towards the north end of the village. He considered tossing the weapon, just to piss Naruto off. Still, it was a good plan. He hopped over to the next roof and moved ahead of them a bit, staying out of the trio's line of sight as they moved to the edge of the village. When he reached it, he found four of Naruto waiting along the edge of the rooftops.

"Hey. That's him is it?" The blond nin nearest to him looked down as he approached and spoke in a whisper.

Uchiha gave a nod and looked down at their target. "Yeah. Seems like it."

"I'll follow him from here." The other three Naruto were moving into the forest ahead of their targets by moving east and west, and flanking the trio at a distance. The one with Sasuke stayed put. "It'll be hard for us both to follow right behind them across this open field. We'll catch up after they get to the forest."

OooOOooOO

Naruto forced his cheeks a little flushed and waited as the men around him drank themselves sick. He'd taken a few mouthfuls to add odor to his breath, but it was a strong drink. He was pouring the contents of his drink into the mugs of those around him a bit at a time while no one was looking. It was his third one, and no one had spotted him doing it. There were a few fist fights, and a couple of tables got broken, but nothing serious. A lot of the men were hanging back like he was, but more than half were laughing and making a mess of the bar. No one seemed to care much. No one bothered him. After about an hour, no one in the room was sober. No one saw him slip into the bathroom and vanish, everyone was too drunk to notice or care that he was gone.

OooOOooOO

Gatou stopped as they moved through the wood. He had his hands behind his back and glanced over his shoulder. They'd been moving for a half hour, and his two samurai looked down at him.

He turned to face them and they said nothing, looking interested.

Sasuke and Naruto were hidden in the shadows above on branches, staying quiet and out of sight. They both froze and worked to control their breathing, each wondering if the old man had noticed something.

"I've got a job for the two of you as well. That Tazuna is a pain, there's still a chance he might escape. Zabuza told me one of his ninja protectors was smart enough to remove him once the trouble started. If he survives, he might start trouble again."

The two men looked at each other and nodded.

Gatou chuckled. "He's got a family, they live just outside the village near the river in a small dirty shack that overlooks the ocean."

The larger one smirked. "You want us to kill them?"

The old man frowned and pushed his glasses up his nose. "No. I want you to catch his daughter or grandson and take one of them hostage. It doesn't matter which one. I don't care what happens to the other. Once those Nin start fighting, they'll be unguarded. Even if he escapes, we'll be able to use the hostage to bring him to us. That old man, he'll gladly give up his own life to save one of them. When he does, we'll kill him, after we make him watch us torture his loved one to death. That will help keep whats left of the village in line after this mess is over. Then, we'll destroy that bridge, and no one will ever dare try and rebuild it again. They'll be so terrified, they won't dare defy me again. I'd thought killing Kaiza would be enough, but this will surely break them."

The two men got rather wicked looking grins on their faces and nodded.

Gatou smiled and turned away from them. "Come on, we've got to check up on Zabuza. We need to make sure he's strong enough to put up enough of a fight to weaken those Leaf nin. It would be best if they're all near dead when we strike. Though, the more men we lose, the better. It's still cheaper than paying that cutthroat Mist nin, but I'd prefer if it wasn't too expensive."

Sasuke and Naruto were both relieved at not being spotted, and disgusted at the same time. They followed them a short ways longer, until the massive hut that took up an entire grove of trees appeared.

Sasuke started to move towards it. Naruto put his hand on his shoulder and shook his head. The Uchiha boy was a little surprised, and put his Kunai away.

The hooded nin pulled on his shoulder. "Come on. We've seen enough for now. Time to figure out our next move. We need to talk to Kakashi and work out a plan."

Uchiha glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "All right. You've got a plan? Zabuza is in there."

Naruto shrugged. "So? We're not here to kill him. We've learned all we can for now. I think I've got something worked out, but we need to talk to Kakashi first. Besides, I'm sure that hunter nin is with him as well. He's after Tazuna as well."

Sasuke growled, but relented. "What's with that bar anyway?"

Uzumaki frowned and looked a bit angry. "Just a back up plan. He's going to set them on whoever wins the fight between us and Zabuza, then turn them on the villagers."

The raven haired nin looked angry as well. "Bastard."

"Yeah. Let's get going. There's nothing we can do for now. We'd be wasting our time and risk giving ourselves away if we go any further. He might change his plan if he finds out he's been discovered."

"Who's Kaiza?" Sasuke looked confused.

Naruto shrugged. "Doesn't matter at the moment. He's dead whoever he is. We'll ask Tazuna about it later though. Might prove useful."

OooOOooOO

Meanwhile...

The Nin sat around the table with Tazuna and his family. The old man was pleased with the company, as was his daughter. Inari poked at his food and glared at everyone.

Sasuke blinked and looked at Tazuna. "Hey. I just thought about something I heard in the village earlier."

The old man looked interested. "Yes?"

The Uchiha boy shrugged and looked only a little interested. "Who is this Kaiza? I heard he died, and that the village didn't take it well."

The family froze up. Inari jumped from his seat and rushed to his room.

Naruto and Sasuke both looked confused as Tazuna and his daughter both looked saddened.

The woman spoke up. "He was...my husband."

The raven haired boy flushed. "Oh. I'm..."

Naruto nodded his head and lowered his eyes. "I'd heard about that too. We didn't know who he was."

Tazuna gave a heavy sigh as his daughter left the room as well. "Don't worry about it. I'm surprised you heard anyone speak of that. No one says anything about it."

Naruto gave a nod. "We heard a couple of Gatou's men say something about him."

Kakashi frowned at the pair. "Gatou's men?"

Tazuna spoke up, and the Jounin went silent. "He was the village hero. A great man." He went into the tale of how he'd adopted Inari, married his mother, saved the village, and then was put to death by Gatou's men.

The ninja all looked downcast as he related the tale to them all.

Naruto looked at his hand. "With these two arms, I'll protect the village..." He gave a serious nod. "A true hero."

Tazuna looked surprised. "What? The village hasn't been the same since he died, neither has my daughter, or Inari."

The blond boy looked at Kakashi and stood up from his meal. "Sensei. I need to speak with you..."

Kakashi nodded and got up to walk off with him. Once they were out on the porch, he looked down at Naruto. "What is it?"

"I've got a plan on how we can keep Tazuna and his family safe until his job is done."

The Jounin didn't look surprised. "What is it?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Well...it's going to sound a bit weird...but...Sasuke and I have been using Shadow Clones to run around the village for the past few days and we've been spying and gathering intel. We're right, Zabuza is alive, and that hunter nin is working with him. I'm pretty sure this will work, it's going to sound strange, but hear me out."

Kakashi gave a small sigh. He'd found a grove of trees with marks cut into the trunks not far from where Sasuke and Naruto had trained. "I'm listening."

OooOOooOO

Inari was frowning at Naruto as they sat across from each other at the table the next morning. The nin looked very relaxed, and was waiting for Tazuna to get ready to go. The old man's grandson had a bag over his shoulder, and his mother was packing things into a pack behind him.

Inari looked angry as he sulked on the tabletop. "Why do you try so hard? This plan isn't going to work, and you'll all die! When facing the strong, the weak will only end up getting killed. It doesn't matter how hard you trained, you'll never beat Gatou's men!"

The blond boy didn't look very concerned with the outburst. "So?"

Inari had tears in his eyes. "I'd hate to be stupid like you! You don't belong here, and you're just being nosy! You don't know anything about this village!"

The rest of the room was looking on with wide eyes. Naruto remained calm and shifted in his seat a little. "What of it? I'm here because I'm getting paid. It's my duty, and my job. Why should I care what some drama queen thinks? If you're not going to do anything but mope about and cry all day, shut the hell up. I don't really care if you like what we're doing."

The boy gasped and looked at the older boy in shock, along with the rest of the room. "You think you're going to be a hero?!" He jumped on top of his seat and jabbed his finger at the boy.

"No. Kaiza was a hero. He died for what he believed in, gave his life for what he cared about. It disgust me to see this place wasting that sacrifice and wallowing in it's own misery and weakness. I'd almost rather help Gatou destroy it, because it doesn't appreciate it's heroes and uphold their memories with honor. Unfortunately, I've already been paid and chosen my side. I won't waver now, even if it means getting killed myself."

The room looked shocked. Sakura jumped to her feet and looked about ready to grab him. "You've said enough!"

Inari screeched, blubbering and sobbing. "There's no such thing as heroes!"

Naruto shook his head. "True heroes, are the ones who do not survive. Their memories and deeds leave those who are left behind stronger, and inspire them to do better, and build the world they died to protect into something better. This village has wasted theirs, and that man, deserves better than to have nothing more than a torn picture without his image to honor his memory. I don't really like any of you for being so disrespectful of such a great man." He stood up and left the home through the back door to wait for the others. Inari rushed away, screaming and red faced as he slammed the door to his room.

Tazuna and Tsunami were both sitting with wide eyes as they looked at their table, neither one able to hold their own tears back.

Kakashi looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry..."

Tazuna stood up with a firm frown on his face as he glared forward and let his tears fall. "No. That boy is right."

Tsunami gasped and looked up at her father in shock.

Sakura and Sasuke both sat at the table, not looking up at the mess before them. The girl flushed as she turned her eyes towards where Inari had run.

The old man walked out onto the porch. "I foolishly believed that the bridge I was building would be a symbol of hope, and courage. We already had one right under our noses, but we were too foolish to realize it. I'll be outside when you are ready to leave."

OooOOooOO

Kakashi opened the door to Inari's room, finding the boy in tears beside his bed. He sat down next to him and put his hand on the child's shoulder. "Naruto grew up without a father, just like you. In fact, he's never known either one of his parents. He never had a single friend growing up. He's had a rougher past than you, but not once have I ever seen him cry or complain. He's a very serious boy, he got sick of crying, and trying to get people to acknowledge him. He knows what it means to be strong, just like your father."

Inari had stopped crying and looked up at the man with wide eyes.

"He's a very strange boy, he knows that the people of the village we come from don't like him, many of them hate him and wish him dead. Yet he would still give his life to do his duty and protect them. It's odd, but he doesn't seem to be able to not be concerned about you. I've never seen him speak to someone he doesn't know so much."

Inari looked down at the floor, and then turned his eyes towards the window.

The man stood up and left the room. Kakashi walked out the doors of the home as Tazuna, Naruto, and Sasuke started towards the bridge. He turned towards Tsunami, Inari, and Sakura. They were all standing in the doorway looking on as the group left. "Be careful."

The pink haired kunoichi nodded. "Yes, sensei." She had an odd expression on her face and smiled at the pair standing with her.

OooOOooOO

The bridge was empty when they arrived. A thick mist was hanging in the air as the group surrounding Tazuna looked about.

"It's quiet." Kakashi narrowed his eye and looked about.

Sasuke nodded and glanced to find Naruto gone. "Yup."

Tazuna frowned at the thick mist they were standing in. "He's already here then?"

Kakashi gave a nod in reply. "This is his Hidden Mist no Jutsu."

In an instant they were surrounded by Zabuza's water clones.

The Jounin looked at his student. "Do it Sasuke."

The boy nodded and became a blur of speed as the three clones fell into puddles as he slashed with a kunai in each hand. "I know the plan."

Zabuza frowned. "Keep an eye out for that boy, and take care of this one. I'll deal with Kakashi."

Haku nodded and seemed to vanish into the mist at his side.

Kakashi stood in front of the Mist nin and stood in a relaxed pose. "Ready when you are."

Zabuza growled and set his feet as he pulled his sword from his back. The pair collided. Kakashi slashed with his kunai, blocking strikes from the massive sword as it blurred in powerful blows and sent sparks flying into the air as the metal clashed.

Sasuke stood guarding the target, and spun his kunai, knocking several needles out of the air. The masked nin appeared in front of him in a relaxed pose. "Impressive."

The dark haired boy frowned. "Let's get this over with." He dashed off to the right as the Mist nin waved his arm, sending several more needles that were knocked out of the air and clattered across the ground. They moved off into the mist together.

Tazuna took a step back and looked nervous. He was back away from the battles, and unguarded.

Ahead of him, Zabuza and Kakashi were locked in a hard and brutal battle. They pounded on each other with powerful strikes and kicks, slashing with their weapons, cutting shallow gashes on each other. They kept knocking each other into the building materials, shattering wooden boards, and sending debris and tools flying across the air.

OooOOooOO

Haku put his fingers up and glared at his opponent. "I must defeat you."

The Uchiha boy looked confident. "Just try it!" He had a few needles stuck into his body, but the wounds weren't very serious. He was bleeding a bit, and dripping blood on the ground in small splatters.

Haku rushed forward, lashing out in fast punches and kicks. Sasuke blocked and returned the assault, whipping his leg out in a kick that slammed into the nin's mask, shattering it and putting a large bruise on his cheek.

The Mist nin staggered, but kept his feet as he put his fist up again with more of his needles between his knuckles.

Both of them rushed forward again, locking in combat. Neither one of them got off light, as Sasuke sliced into his opponent's sleeve, cutting a gash into his shoulder, only to receive a few more needles in his belly.

OooOOooOO

Kakashi wasn't in good shape. He staggered to his feet holding his bleeding side and gripped his last kunai in his hand. He'd tossed several, and wounded Zabuza. The Mist nin held his sword ready, but was gasping for breath and looking just as worn and tired as his opponent.

The Leaf nin gasped as the enemy jumped back into the mist and seemed to vanished. His eyes went wide. "No!" He turned and rushed towards Tazuna, who was still standing back from the fight. A dark shadow loomed over the old man with it's huge sword held high over his head.

"It's over!" Zabuza looked down as the bridge builder turned to look up at him in horror.

OooOOooOO

"Inari, help me with the dishes." Tsunami's voice called out from within the home.

Two samurai smirked to each other as they drew their swords and walked onto the back porch of Tazuna's home. The slid the door open and saw a woman standing in front of the sink with her back to them. They stepped forward towards her. "Hurry up, we need to get started on lunch soon so it will be ready when everyone gets back."

The men were standing behind her, and she'd not yet noticed them. They reached out to grab her shoulders with wicked and cruel grins.

OooOOooOO

Zabuza hacked down at Tazuna, only to have the man vanish in a puff of smoke. "What?"

A black blur moved by behind him and his eyes went wide. "It...can't be." His head fell back along a red line on his neck and rolled across the ground. The towering ninja fell on his back with his arms spread wide and blood pouring from his neck.

Kakashi was staggering towards the scene. He stumbled forward clutching his belly and looked down at the mess. Naruto swung his blade, splattering the ground with blood before putting it on his back again.

"Kakashi...sensei..." A weak voice from the mist called out to the man. Sasuke staggered forward, he was covered in bruises, and had needles poking out of his skin all over his body. There were several in his neck, and blood poured out of his mouth. He fell face first onto the bridge and stopped moving.

The man's eyes went wide. "Sasuke!"

Two more needles impaled the Jounin on his neck and he fell over on top of several boxes of supplies. Blood was pouring down the wooden crates onto the ground from his fallen body.

Naruto jumped back into the mist and vanished as the Hidden Mist nin Haku staggered over and fell to his knees. "Za-Zabuza..." He crumpled down on top of the man's body, and rubbed at his chest. "N-no...it...it..."

A cold cruel voice echoed over the mist. Laughter filled the air.

Naruto appeared on the edge of the bridge over the river, with Haku glaring back across the bridge still crumpled over his fallen master's dead body.

Gatou was standing in front of a large group of armed men. "Heh. How convenient. Zabuza is already dead, and the rest of you are in no condition to resist. Now, you'll all die, and Tazuna will have no protection. I suspected you'd hide him away."

Haku staggered to his knees, tears still streaming down his face with a rage in his eyes. "Gatou...what are you doing here? What is with these men?"

The man tapped his cane on the pavement in front of him. His arm was still bandaged and he gave the boy a hateful glare. "Heh. I was planning on killing you from the beginning. You weren't ever going to get paid." He took another step forward. "Hiring a ninja from a village is expensive, and you missing nins are easy to take care of afterwards. I wait for the battle to weaken you, and then kill you off with numbers. Much less expensive, don't you agree?"

Haku and Naruto looked back as an explosion sounded in the distance. Smoke started rising into the air from Tazuna's home.

Gatou frowned for a moment. "I told those idiots I wanted a prisoner. They'd better not have failed me. It won't matter, without protection that fool Tazuna will be easy to find and kill." He reared his head back to laugh, but gasped as his glasses fell off as a sharp pain exploded through is chest and belly. His eyes went down as blood flew from his lips as he looked down at the blade jutting through his chest. It was wide and flat, with a curved tip. "It...can't be..."

"Actually, you've been fooled." A familiar and terrifying voice from behind him that sounded amused gave a chuckle.

OooOOooOO

The taller of two samurai put his sword across the woman's neck as he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back into him. His eyes went wide. "Wha?"

He was holding a dummy, in front of him was a tape recorder, and a sink full of explosives with a string attached to a trigger from the dummy's chest. "Oh shi..."

His companion started to turn away, but it was far too late.

OooOOooOO

Gatou was holding the blade pushing through his torso as he was lifted off the ground. Haku was behind Zabuza, glaring at the crowd of armed mercenaries with her hands full of throwing needles and keeping them at bay behind his back. "Wha?"

Zabuza chuckled. "Haku and I got a visitor last night. It seems the Leaf nin have a skilled spy among them. We knew about your plan before you showed up today. Every detail."

Kakashi was getting up from the boxes, Naruto was grinning from his perch on the bridge. Sasuke pushed himself off the ground and started wiping makeup and pulling needles out from just under his skin, and no deeper. The Jounin pulled a bag of blood out of his shirt and tossed it onto the bridge.

OooOOooOO

The night before...

Naruto stood in the window of Zabuza and Haku's room. The boy nin gasped as he turned around from his partner and readied throwing needles.

Naruto put up his hands. "I'm just a shadow clone with a message. I didn't come to fight. We need to talk. There's something you need to know, and I promise you'll find it interesting."

Zabuza was sitting on the bed and glaring at him. "What? Talk fast boy. I'm not patient."

Naruto nodded. "I'll be quick then. Gatou is going to stab you in the back. He's hired a bunch of men already to ambush both of us after we fight. We'll be weakened and easy prey. I managed to sneak into the meeting where he hired them. There's a camp west of the village where he's keeping them until the time is right."

Haku snarled. "Liar!"

Zabuza put his hand up to stop him from attacking the clone. "Why should we trust you?"

The boy looked him in the eye. "It will be easy to prove. I've got a plan. If you'll hear me out, there's no risk aside from delaying our fight another day or so if I'm not being honest."

The two Mist nin looked at each other. Haku glared at his companion. "Zabuza..."

The man crushed an apple in his grip. He frowned at his hand and looked up at the boy. "All right. Let's hear it."

"We're going to have a mock battle. Make it appear as if you die, and we're all badly beaten. After that, Gatou will reveal himself with his men, and he'll be easy prey. He's planning on using our battle to disguise his deception from you. You'll be distracted with us, and won't notice him building his forces on the other side of the bridge."

Haku looked at Zabuza and said nothing.

"I'll impersonate Zabuza, and make sure everything looks right. You use Water Clones to hide yourselves, make things look good, and wait out of sight near the other end of the bridge. When the bastard shows up to gloat, you can have him. I won't be able to impersonate your friend the Hunter nin. I'm not good enough with those weapons of his. I can handle a sword though, so you don't even have to stick your neck out."

The Mist nin both gave him a serious frown. "Tazuna won't be there anyway will he?" Haku lowered her eyes and clenched her fist. "You knew we were going to attack tomorrow."

"I suspected. As for Tazuna, you can worry about that if I'm wrong. I'm not though." The Leaf nin gave him a nod. "Will you agree to this? You seem to be healed, and we'll meet on the bridge tomorrow morning. As I said, our job is to protect Tazuna until he finishes his bridge. We can't leave the village until it's done. The worst that can happen, is your battle is postponed another day or two. Low risk, for both of us."

Haku gave the man a quick short nod as she frowned at him.

"Heh. You know kid. I believe you. You seem to know that jerk pretty well." Zabuza gave a nod.

Naruto returned the gesture and spoke again. "Know your enemy, and know yourself, and you need not fear the outcome of a thousand battles." With that, he vanished into the night.

The man turned to lie back on his mattress. "Heh. I like that kid. A worthy addition to my notebook indeed."

Haku gave a nod and smiled at him. "You're recovered well."

OooOOooOO

Zabuza finished relating the story to Gatou as he hung in agony off the end of his blade.

The man was gasping and struggling to breathe. "I-it can't be..."

Haku gave a cruel but amused sounding giggle. "You're finished now. I felt a little bad doing this to the village, but if you're not paying us, it's just not worth it."

Zabuza tossed the unfortunate man into the air off his sword, and slashed his head clean off in the air before he landed. "Now. As for the rest of you." He turned to glare at the crowd of men. "I'm pretty upset about not getting paid. I wouldn't mind working out a bit of my stress on the lot of you." He readied his blade and faced them, but didn't charge to attack either.

OooOOooOO

Sakura gave a smile as she looked over her shoulder in an almost, but not quite evil manner. There was an explosion in the distance. She was sitting on a boat in the river with Inari, Tazuna, and Tsunami with her.

Tsunami gave a small shudder. "Our house!" They had packed up their valuables, but many of their things were now destroyed.

Tazuna gave a heavy sigh. "Don't worry. We'll build another. The bridge is almost finished. I'll have plenty of time."

Inari looked impatient. "Are we at the village yet?"

"Don't worry. We're there!" She pulled the craft up to a small dock on the riverbank that ran through the village.

Inari jumped off and ran up the stairs into the street.

"Wait!" Sakura looked a bit worried, and the old man and his daughter rushed off after him. "Hey! I'm coming too you know!"

Inari was beating on doors. "Come to the bridge with us! If we work together, this time we can defeat Gatou!"

Tired and fearful voices replied. "No! We don't want to die! We don't want to regret any more losses!"

The boy got angered, and continued, ignoring them and calling out into the homes in a shout. He continued beating on doors while Tazuna and Tsunami looked on with Sakura.

The kunoichi shouted out. "He's right! You cowards! Don't you care at all!?"

Giichi's voice came from his home. "Even the man we call hero isn't here! We don't want to lose anything else. I can't take anymore regrets!"

"My father was a true hero! He gave his life to fight without regret! I won't forget and shame his memory! I'm going to fight without regret, even if I go alone!" Inari screamed it at the top of his lungs as he stood in front of the locked door. "I can't protect anything being a crybaby!"

Inside Giichi's home, his wife looked down as she sat at the table. "Inari is becoming a man. Are you really going to let him go alone?"

The man hung his head and clenched his fist in silence for a long moment.

OooOOooOO

The swordsmen and mercenaries were looking quite angry as they glared at the ninja on the bridge. "You killed our meal ticket! Don't look so cocky! We're going to pillage that town and take anything of value now! You'll all die! You can't fight us all!"

Zabuza chuckled as he hefted his sword onto his shoulder.

"No! You won't!" The village was standing on the other side of the bridge, armed to teeth. Inari was standing with his grandfather and Giichi on either side of him.

Giichi nodded and stepped forward. "You'll deal with all of us if you attack this village! We'd rather die on our feet, than live on our knees!"

Kakashi had his arms crossed as Sakura and Sasuke stood on either side of him looking as intimidating as they could.

Haku was ready to strike, standing between the villagers and the crowd. "They won't make it far enough to touch them anyway. Right, Zabuza?"

"I'd listen to them if I was you. You don't want to piss those two off, or me for that matter." Naruto now lined the rails on both sides of the bridge. There was easily a hundred of him looking on at the scene from both sides.

The attackers turned and ran at the sight of their numbers. The village cheered in triumph, and Naruto vanished from the edges of the bridge. He appeared beside Kakashi and seemed pleased with himself.

Zabuza turned with Haku at his side. "We have no reason to fight. I will leave now. Perhaps we will meet again, perhaps as enemies, perhaps not. Who knows?"

Naruto realized he was looking right at him and nodded. "I look forward too it."

Kakashi put his hand on the boy's shoulder and looked on as the two missing nin vanished into the mist. "Great plan, Uzumaki."

Sasuke was spitting at the ground in disgust. "Ugh. This fake blood taste awful. Gah."

Sakura gave a cheerful smile. "Well, it's better than real blood isn't it?"

The Uchiha boy hung his head and sighed. "Point taken. Still. Gross."

Tazuna smiled at his grandson as the Leaf nin left and started on their journey home. The bridge now spanned to both shores, and only a little more work was required to finish it. "We still need to name the bridge. Another day's work, and it will be finished."

Inari had tears in his eyes as he watched them go.

His grandfather smiled. "That boy changed Inari's heart. Inari changed the people's heart. He gave us a bridge to hope called courage. How about 'The Great Naruto Bridge'?"

Inari looked back at his grandfather. "It's a great name!"

OooOOooOO

Naruto hung his head and sighed. "How annoying. Kind of hard to not be remembered if people keep naming huge landmarks after me. Oh well..."

Sasuke chuckled and shook his head. "It's not so bad. Maybe people will think you were named for the bridge?"

The blond boy hung his head a little lower. He didn't know Sasuke had left a Shadow Clone behind to listen in as well. It could get irritating.

Sakura seemed confused. "What are they talking about, sensei?"

Kakashi gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure."

"Hey, Sasuke! How about a date when we get back?" Her train of thought had already moved on.

"No thanks."

Naruto shook his head and kept moving a bit ahead of the group.

Kakashi seemed to remember something. "Oh yes. Naruto, I almost forgot." He pulled out the scroll the boy had given him. "I was hoping you'd let me..."

Naruto shrugged. "Keep it. I've got like ten copies." Ken and Ryu liked making him write it all down again from memory as a punishment when they got mad at him for not studying enough.

The Jounin seemed to cheer up a bit and put it back in his shirt. He was going to ask to borrow it a bit longer. He wanted to have a talk with the Hokage about it. "Thanks."

Naruto gave another sigh as he seemed to brighten up a bit. "Man. I'm gonna get me a big bowl of ramen when we get home. The food was terrible here."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: Invasion.


	7. Chapter 7

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 7

Invasion.

OooOOooOO

Kakashi stood in front of the Hokage's desk. His students had all returned home, Natuto had moved off towards the Ramen shop, and he'd come to the Hokage's office to give his report.

Mitarashi Anko was sitting next to the old man that day. She was giving the Jounin a rather blank look. "Huh?"

Sarutobi was slumped in his chair a bit more than normal. He was looking at Kakashi and had his cheek in his palm. "So, let me get this straight..."

The Jounin looked down at the old man and nodded. "My report is accurate."

The kunoichi snorted. "This is some kind of joke, right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Oh, there's one other thing I'd like you to take a look at, sir." He reached into his shirt and put a heavy and very, very long scroll onto the man's desk.

The Hokage looked confused. "The Art of War, and the Book of the Five Rings?" He opened it up and found very small print. Clearing his throat he put a pair of reading glasses on and looked over it. From the look of the scroll, it would roll out to about twenty feet in length.

Anko didn't look like she believed Kakashi. "The Devil Zabuza? The missing nin from the Hidden Mist? The one who..."

Kakashi gave her a nod. "The same."

She frowned at him and gnawed on the end of her thumb. "Iruka tells me the boy is an idiot. He was at the bottom of his class. He talks about him as if he was his son. You're telling me that kid managed to pull all this off, beat two jounin, kill two Chunin, act as an expert spy, and come up with a brilliant plan to save the Wave Country Village, turn two enemy nin into double agents, and get a bridge named after him? All while protecting the client?" She sat back in her seat next to the old man as he looked over the scroll.

Kakashi gave her a single nod. "I'm afraid so. To be honest, I'm starting to wonder about Iruka's competence. That boy is a genius."

Sarutobi was reading through the scroll for several minutes in silence. Anko looked to be thinking about it hard enough to be getting a small headache. She didn't look like she believed it.

The old man was skimming through the writing, and had quite a bit of it unrolled as he read through enough to get an idea about what he was holding. "Where did you get this?" The Hokage looked up at Kakashi. "It's brilliant."

The Jounin instructor nodded. "I noticed. Take a look at the author just under the title on the front side of the scroll."

The old man rolled the parchment up enough to flip the front end over. He stared at it for a long moment. "Y-you've got to be..."

Anko leaned over his shoulder and frowned. "What is that? Uzumaki Naruto? What is it anyway? Ways to cook Ramen or something?"

The old man glanced at her and handed it over. "Have a look for yourself."

The woman frowned at him and took the scroll. She opened it up and started skimming through it herself. Kakashi and the old man stood around for several minutes as she did so. Her face became more and more blank. "This is...some sort of tactics manual?"

Kakashi nodded. "I saw with my own eyes that what is written in this scroll was practically applied. This isn't a joke, and it's not some accident. That boy is a genius. I am confident he could have taken Zabuza and finished this mission alone if he'd needed too. He nearly killed him when we ran into him the first time, and killed two Mist Chunin before they even saw him."

Anko was kicking her leg as she sat on the edge of the Hokage's desk. "Interesting. This is Naruto? That Naruto? You're kidding?" She had an odd grin on her face.

Kakashi nodded. "The same."

Mitarashi looked over her shoulder. "He's not got enough missions for the exam yet. I want him anyway."

The old man looked up at her from under his hat. "He is Kakashi's student for now. The next Chunin exam won't be for several months."

The woman frowned and kept going through the scroll. "This boy. He's a proven spy, a silent killer, and from the look of this, a born leader. He belongs in the ANBU. I want him." She smirked at the old man and narrowed her eyes a bit.

The Hokage gave a heavy sigh. "The Chunin exams won't be for another five months. I see no reason we should rush things."

Kakashi gave a small shrug. "He's ready now. The other two need more training, he took to basic chakra control in a day. He's figured out that he can use his Shadow Clones to speed up his training. If there was a way to get him through the exams on his own, I'd do it in a moment. He's single handedly gotten his teammates to work together, shown an aptitude for planning successful strategy, and has taken an interest in Sasuke in particular. The Uchiha boy has been working with him on his own. I'd like to keep them together a bit longer at least, and get Haruno involved. I think he could do them both a lot of good. It will do him a lot of good as well. He's still very mistrusting, and has a hard time relating to others."

Anko frowned and nodded. "I suppose you're right. The exams are still a few months away. Uchiha huh? Didn't think that kid got along with anyone. Can't say I blame him."

"They're good for each other. They're becoming fast friends, though neither one of them will admit it." Kakashi nodded and crossed his arms. "Naruto may well be capable of becoming a Chunin, but I feel a few more months of being a Genin will do him some good as well. I've no doubt he'll pass the exam."

The kunoichi nodded. "Well, it's not as easy as making it through on his own you know."

Kakashi gave a nod. "I'm aware of that. I don't doubt his ability to get his team through. Not after what I've seen."

The Hokage nodded. "You seem sure of that."

"Naruto is a genius, and he's working well with Sakura and Sasuke." Kakashi seemed to think about it. "I'll be amazed if he doesn't make it to the final round of the exams."

The old man nodded. "Very well. We'll see. I'll trust your judgment, and based on what I've seen, I'm giving you a B ranked mission tomorrow. Be ready."

The Jounin nodded and seemed calm. Anko looked a bit surprised that the announcement didn't phase him in the slightest. She turned her eyes back to the scroll and kept reading as he turned to leave them.

OooOOooOO

"B ranked?" Sakura was wide eyed as she looked at the Hokage. Kakashi was standing behind his team. Naruto was next to him, as calm as usual. Sasuke raised his head and smirked.

The old man nodded and puffed on his pipe. "That's correct. We've been getting reports of unusual activities around the southern village of Kugami, on the border of Tea Country. You're being sent to investigate, report on your findings, and take action if it is needed."

Naruto looked up at the old man. "What sort of activities?"

"Missing supplies, a few robberies, and about fifteen missing persons. The town is a trade village. It's an important part of the trade route with Tea Country." The Hokage gave a serious nod. "We've gotten no reports of violence, but no one has heard anything about the missing persons. They may be dead, but don't appear to be being used as hostages. We've not heard word of any ransom or demands. According to reports, no bodies have been found either."

Kakashi looked down at the hooded boy and back at the Hokage. "Has anyone else been sent to investigate yet?"

The old man shook his head. "No. The local Representative has asked for a team at B rank rates. Details are unusually sparse, and I've been getting the run around from officials in the capitol I've tried to contact about it. I suspect they know more than they've told us so far. Things are being kept quiet though. Your priority is to discover the nature of the problem, and report it. After that, whether or not you take action will be decided by your team leader. You aren't being asked to do anything about the problem as an order, but Kakashi will assess the risk involved and decide on the best course to take from there."

Naruto nodded and looked up at Kakashi. "Sounds like politics are involved. That could be a pain."

Sasuke frowned. "What would you know?"

Sakura was being pretty quiet and hung her head as she flushed a bit.

The Hokage chuckled. "He's probably right. It's not usually this difficult to get information out of the capitol. Someone is hiding something I'm certain."

"Another trip then. Hope the food is better this time." Naruto didn't seem pleased or upset one way or the other.

Kakashi gave a heavy sigh and shook his head.

Sasuke turned his head away from his fellow Genin. "Maybe they'll name a restaurant after you this time?"

Naruto turned to glare at him for a moment, but didn't reply.

The old man gave a small smirk. "You'll leave in the morning. I suggest getting some rest and packing your things this evening."

Kakashi looked at the trio and turned to leave the room. "Be at the south gate at Eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets. "How much do you want to bet he won't be there when we show up?"

Sakura was a little pink and shuffled off after them.

The old man looked up before Naruto moved off after them. "Uzumaki. I'd like to speak with you a moment." He set a familiar scroll on his desk.

The boy turned back to him and moved in front of his desk. "Huh? What is it?"

Sarutobi gave him a wry grin. "This is a very interesting scroll. I'm to understand you wrote it?"

The boy gave a short nod. "Yeah."

Sarutobi nodded and smiled at him. "It's pretty impressive work boy. I admit I'm a bit surprised. Come with me for a moment."

They walked over to a table. On it was a model fortress with little wooden figures representing two opposing forces of nin. There were several types, archers, swordsmen, men with spears, and men with kunai. They were painted red and blue, the red were outside the gates of the wooden fortress, and the blue side was defending it. They were already set up in strategic placements to attack or defend the fort. The surrounding area was represented with fake trees and small mounds of colored sand to represent hills with a few small rocks strewn about the landscape, as well as a painted blue area representing a water source. "What would you do if you were commanding these men?"

Naruto looked up at him and frowned. "Which side?"

"Both. I'm interested in seeing what you might do either way. Taking over, or defending the fort from attack." The old man put his hand on the boy's shoulder and stepped behind him.

After only a moment of peering at the tabletop scene he started. "Well, if I was commanding these men..."

Naruto then took about ten minutes explaining the strengths and weaknesses of both forces, then formulated suitable battle strategies for each side. He pointed out weaknesses in both the attack and defense formation present, advantages in the terrain of the land on the model, weaknesses in the fort defenses, and then amended them based on factors like weather, and time of day. He did it all in about fifteen minutes.

The old man stood watching and put his hand under his chin with his finger crooked over his mouth in thought. "I see." If nothing else, it was obvious the boy knew what was on the scroll in explicit detail, and how to apply it. He also didn't take much time to figure out the situation, and seemed to know what to do at a glance. He looked down at the boy and smiled. "Very interesting. About that scroll."

The boy looked up at him and nodded. "Kakashi sensei showed ya that? I showed it to him while we were at that old man Tazuna's place."

The Hokage gave a nod. "I'd like your permission to put it into print. I'm planning on adding it to the Academy Curriculum."

Naruto's eyes went a little wide. "Huh?" He looked at the scroll on the old man's desk and back up at the Hokage again. "Do what ya want with it."

The old man gave him a cheerful pat on his shoulder and moved back behind his desk. "I'm sure it will prove invaluable. I'd also like you to give Sakura and Sasuke a copy, and tell them I asked that they study it. They should be able to read through it on the trip if nothing else. Kakashi told me you've made several. I'm planning on making it required reading for the nin of this village."

Naruto looked a bit surprised, his eyes had grown even wider. "Huh? It's not that big a deal. If you say so."

Sarutobi shook his head and chuckled a bit. "Very strange. My boy, from what I've heard, that knowledge has served you well."

The boy seemed to think on it. "Yeah. It's my path."

The Hokage sat back in his chair. "I think it will serve this village well also. Perhaps more than you'll realize for a long time. This sort of knowledge, can strengthen our village for generations. It's the reason I gave you this mission. Good luck, I suggest you get some sleep."

The boy was gone when the old man looked up again.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting in front of a Shogi board in the woods just outside the village near his home. He had several clones running about training nearby. Nothing too difficult, but he knew he'd be sore and get a good night's sleep when he got back to his home.

Ken was chuckling. "They named a bridge after you?"

Naruto seemed annoyed. "It's not my fault. The Hokage says that scroll of mine is going to be taught at the academy now."

Ryu seemed cheerful. "Really? A bit sooner than we expected."

The boy seemed annoyed. "You're not mad or anything? I mean, I know you told me I shouldn't talk about what we're doing."

"Yes. I figured as much."

Ken and Ryu had vanished in an instant. Naruto froze and looked over his shoulder with wide eyes.

Kakashi was leaning against a tree and looking at him as he stood up in front of the Shogi board. "Hi. You two must be Naruto's friends." The men were nowhere to be seen, but both knew they'd been spotted. "Mind telling me what you're doing here? We're a hidden village after all. There are reasons for that."

Naruto's face fell. "Crap."

"Well, seems we've been discovered." Ken's voice sounded amused.

Ryu chuckled from nearby. "It's about time. It only took two and a half years."

"Who are you?" Kakashi didn't seem upset, and remained calm as he looked about the wood surrounding him. He couldn't figure out where the voices were coming from.

Ken appeared leaning against a tree to his right, and Ryu ahead of him with Naruto between him and the Jounin. Kakashi didn't move and looked the pair over. They were wearing black, and seemed quite powerful. Their faces were hidden with hoods and masks.

The one on his right spoke up first. "To be honest. We're from another dimension. Ninja are different where we come from. Here, it seems like a word that just means 'martial artist'."

Ryu gave a small shrug. "We sort of ended up stuck here in the area around the village about three years ago more or less. This one was the first person we met." He nodded towards Naruto.

Kakashi gave a snort. "Another dimension?" He didn't look like he trusted it.

Ken shrugged. "Well, we trained him, in exchange for information about how things worked around here. We've been doing a bit of traveling around this Fire Country of yours while you were off on missions. We've learned quite a bit."

The Jounin gave a nod. "I see. Why are you hiding?"

Ryu shrugged. "It's what we do. We aren't planning on staying hidden forever you know. This boy, he's been trained quite well. Consider what we've taught him as a gift. An offering of peace between us."

The boy frowned and looked at his three teachers. "Oh man. What should I do?"

"I'm sure the Hokage would like to meet you." Kakashi stood up straight and glanced between the pair.

Ken shook his head. "We've got nothing to offer you. We're not training anyone else either. I'm sure we'll find a use for ourselves sooner or later though."

Kakashi gave a short nod. "I see."

Ryu seemed very cheerful. "We like this village. It's an interesting place. Our student, he's not been treated very well. We heard about his unique situation."

Ken nodded. "It's not a very good excuse."

Kakashi looked at Naruto and narrowed his eye at the boy. "Are you eating a bird?"

The boy pulled a few feathers from his lips. "Um...kind of." He put the dead and nearly whole animal behind his back and looked a little embarrassed.

"You, Iruka, and that old man are about the only people we really respect here. His two teammates are good for him as well. No one else though." Ken ignored the Jounin's surprise as Naruto wiped blood from his mouth with his sleeve. "You've been good to our student. We understand he's proven himself quite useful."

Kakashi didn't look pleased, but didn't reply either. "I see. What do you want here?"

Ryu shrugged. "We've retired. To be honest, we don't really want anything from the village right now. Well, that's not exactly true. We're certainly not interested in spending the rest of our lives teaching a bunch of brats what we know. I doubt you'd trust us with that anyway."

Kakashi frowned. "I see. That's what you want with Naruto."

The blond boy blinked. "Huh?"

Ryu chuckled. "He's got to figure that out on his own. He's beginning to, but he's not ready yet."

Ken gave a nod. "The more respect he's earned, the more likely we are to be welcome. Just showing up won't get us much respect, and we're not likely to be welcome right now."

The other shinobi nodded. "We've got no place to call home here. When we feel we've proven ourselves useful enough, we'll probably settle down here. No point in rushing things. You're not very trusting, and fearful of things you don't understand."

Kakashi looked at Naruto and found both shinobi gone when he looked back up. "I think I get it." He understood why the men might think that. He also knew they weren't wrong. Though, it was a little hard to admit it.

Naruto looked a bit worried. "Am I in some sort of trouble?"

The Jounin shook his head. The two men seemed to be gone. "No. You're fine. You trust these men?"

The boy nodded. "I'm sure they're not lying. They aren't bad or anything. I know they wouldn't hurt the village."

Kakashi cocked his head. "What makes you so sure?"

Naruto gave him a weak but honest smile. "They've done more for Konoha than you think. We've played a few pranks, but they won't let anything hurt this place. They don't have a home here, or a family. This place is safe."

The Jounin looked at the canopy of branches overhead. "I don't see any reason not to believe you. We don't know them. I'm afraid I'm still a bit suspicious." He waved his hand for the boy to follow. "Come on. We've got a mission tomorrow, and a bit of traveling to do. Don't vanish on me, I've got something to talk with you about." He walked with the boy at his side. When they reached the edge of the wood he knelt down beside the boy. "Naruto. I understand what they told you about keeping what they teach you a secret."

The boy looked at the ground and avoided eye contact. "Yeah. Look, it's bad if I don't listen to them. They won't hurt me or anything, but..."

Kakashi looked cheerful. "They seem to be good teachers. You're not an instructor either. One day you will be. Do you understand?"

The boy shook his head from side to side.

His instructor gave him a wink. "They don't want you to share what you've learned, because you're not really ready to be a teacher yet. One day you will be. I think I get what this is about now."

The boy looked up at him, still confused. "What do you mean, sensei? Are you sure I'm not in trouble?"

The Jounin shook his head. "I'm not planning on telling anyone about this yet. Don't worry. It wouldn't do much good right now. I want you to listen to me though. If you can help Sasuke or Sakura with something you know. You should share it with them. I'm pretty sure they won't be angry if you do."

The boy gave a short nod. He still looked a bit nervous and uncertain. "Well, they said I shouldn't talk about what I do with them."

Ken was leaning against a tree nearby, Kakashi and Naruto both turned to look at him. "Yes. We didn't say you couldn't show someone else how to do something if it will help you, or your mission either. You just can't talk about where you learned it. We told you already, we might say things that aren't really true, or imply something different than the true meaning, in order to get you to learn something. You're not ready to teach. You've got a long way to go."

Ryu was on the other side, and Kakashi and Naruto turned again to face him as he spoke. "We told you we'd look out for you. We told you we'd teach you, and we will, whether you like it or not. You see, you, are our key to Konoha, and a life here on this world. We're retired, and you are our final student."

Kakashi had gone a bit pale. He looked at Naruto, and found his surprise lessen a great deal. He'd thought them both long gone.

The boy seemed confused. "Key? I'm not sure what you mean."

The pair turned and moved into the woods away from the pair. "One day you will. It's not as difficult a concept as it seems." Ken waved his hand as he vanished into the darkness.

Kakashi stood up and started walking towards the village. "Get some sleep. I've seen enough for now. Don't worry. You're not in any trouble." He gave a heavy sigh as he neared the gates. There was no way he was going to tell anyone a story as crazy as this one. The Hokage would believe him, but it wouldn't do anyone much good. His worry had lessened quite a bit, but it was still eating at the back of his mind. His head hung a bit lower as he seemed to realize that was a large part of why the men were staying hidden. At least, he thought they were men.

He had a lot to think about, and needed rest himself. Though, he doubted he would be getting much sleep that night.

OooOOooOO

Naruto stood with Sasuke and Sakura at the southern gate of Konoha. His fellow Genin seemed annoyed.

Sasuke clicked his tongue and grumbled. "I knew it."

Sakura was fuming a bit. "He's late."

Their companion seemed to think about something and reached into his backpack. Neither one of the pair with him noticed as he pulled out two scrolls. "Hey. I'm supposed to give you two these."

Sakura and Sasuke both looked both annoyed and confused by the heavy scrolls they'd been handed.

The girl frowned at it. "What is this?"

Sasuke peered at it. "Some sort of jutsu scroll?"

The hooded boy shrugged. "Nah. The Hokage said every nin in the village has to read this. It's something they're adding to the academy's curriculum this year."

The pair frowned at the hefty scrolls. Sakura read the title out loud. "The Art of War and the Book of Five Rings?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he read what was under it. "By Uzumaki Naruto? You're joking right?"

The boy shook his head. "Nope. You gotta learn this stuff."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Kakashi appeared behind her and Sasuke, putting his hands on their shoulders. "Ah. The new tactics manual. I see Naruto's given you your copies. Good. You two should read through it on the way to Kugami. I expect you to study hard, you should know it by the time we get back to the village." He seemed pleased.

Sasuke looked up at the man with a rather blank expression. "Huh?"

Sakura's jaw was hanging. "You're joking!?"

The instructor waved his hand and started walking. "Come on, we've got a long way to travel. We should be there in a week or so. Plenty of time to read up and get some studying done."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke frowned, his eyes were a little red and he yawned as he stuffed the hefty scroll back into his pack. It was boring, long winded, and useless. He'd heard Naruto say some of the things written in it before. It seemed like a lot of philosophy, and drivel to him.

Sakura didn't look much better off with her copy. She'd read it twice, and they were both walking through the woods just behind Kakashi and Naruto. The boy hadn't vanished, but both children knew there were Shadow Clones running about the woods surrounding them. They were on a dirt path in the shade, and the weather was pleasant, not hot, or cold. Summer was moving in fast, but hadn't arrived yet.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at the kunoichi. "You've been quiet. The last time we took a trip like this, you'd driven Sasuke off on his own a bunch of times by this point. He's not had to turn you down once yet."

The girl glared at him and put the scroll away. She was on her third time reading through it and turned her nose up. "I wasn't expecting to have to study all this on the way." Her inner self was cursing at him in anger and her cheeks were burning.

The raven haired boy put his hands behind his head and looked up at the tree canopy overhead. "Tell me about it. Talk about boring. It is kind of nice to get a little peace and quiet on the way I suppose."

Sakura looked a bit surprised. Her eyes were a little tired, but she'd found it quite interesting herself. "I-I guess." She was flustered.

"What the heck is botherin ya?" The blond shinobi shook his head and moved back to walk with the pair.

Haruno looked at them and turned her eyes at the dirt on the path ahead of them. "This is a B ranked mission. We're just Genin."

Sasuke frowned at her. "What? After that mess with Zabuza? You don't think we can handle it?"

The girl flushed a bit. "Well, I know we were given credit for an A ranked mission, but still. I thought Genin weren't supposed to be assigned more than a C ranked mission. This is unusual. I don't get it, I mean..."

Naruto gave a nod. "Well, we done a good job. The Hokage wouldn't send us if he didn't think we could do it."

Sasuke gave a serious looking nod. "I'm looking forward to it. Besides, it might not be anything really dangerous."

The girl looked pensive, but nodded. "I know." She didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't so sure she could handle it herself. She knew Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke would all be fine. She'd not done much aside from the training in the woods and driving a boat on their last mission.

Naruto gave a crude sounding snort. "You'll be fine. Jeez, don't worry so much."

Haruno turned a bit pink and didn't speak. He seemed to know what she was thinking. That bothered her a bit. She didn't want to be 'fine' she wanted something she could handle and be useful in. A kunoichi shouldn't stand back and watch everyone else do all the work. She'd thought of herself as the brain of the team at first, but Naruto had pretty much done away with that idea. The scroll he'd given her hadn't helped with that much. She was feeling inadequate, and like a dead weight on the team.

Sasuke frowned at her. "What? You're worried you can't handle it? He's right isn't he?" He still had his hands behind his head and didn't look at her. "Just stay out of the way then."

Naruto frowned at him. "Shut the hell up, Uchiha. No one stands around on this team."

"Who put you in charge?" The black haired nin turned his eyes away from both of them.

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder. "I did. Uzumaki is squad leader when I'm not around." He turned back to look at the road ahead. "You'll do fine, Sakura. You've grown as much as they have. You've done your job well, and the team has needed your support. We've all got roles to play, and you're doing an outstanding job in yours. Keep it up."

All three children looked surprised at that. Sasuke hung his head and growled as his hands dropped and balled up his fist a little.

Naruto shook his head. "What is wrong with you man? Quit being a jerk for no good reason. We don't need you talking down to her and making things worse than they are. We might need her, and if we do, she needs to be at her best."

The pink haired girl looked over at the back of his head with wide eyes and her jaw hanging a little. Her nose scrunched up as she seemed to get a little angry. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit nervous. We've never been assigned a B rank mission before. It's kind of unusual. I can handle it fine!"

Kakashi gave a nod as they walked out of the woods into an open field. There were more trees far into the distance, and they could see rooftops filling the center of the wooded area. "This team is more unusual than you think, Sakura. That's not a bad thing, you're more fortunate to be here than you realize."

The girl gave a weak smile and nodded.

Naruto moved up beside the Jounin. "That's it?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yup. I've not been here in years."

OooOOooOO

The wood surrounding the village was quiet and dark. A single road moved through it, the center of the village, and to the border of Tea Country.

Naruto looked over his shoulder. "Not much traffic. It's the middle of the day and the middle of the week."

Sasuke walked by him and frowned. "So? Seems like the middle of nowhere to me."

Kakashi didn't speak up. Naruto was right. It was a major trade road, and not a single person was moving up or down the route. "Keep your eyes open. We've got to speak with the Counselor. He's the one who sent for us. We should learn more about what's going on then."

Naruto looked back at Sakura and Sasuke. "Hey. Both of you make a Shadow Clone and stick with mine. I want to have more eyes on what's going on when we get to the village."

The girl looked nervous, and both students made clones. Sakura had been instructed on how to do it during the trip by her fellow Genin.

Kakashi didn't say anything and nodded at the trio. Their clones moved off into the woods. Naruto had about fifteen, Sakura and Sasuke each had one. He heard Naruto speaking to the pair. "Sakura, stick with me. Sasuke, you go with that me. The rest of me are going to spread out and have a look around the area."

The real Sakura frowned at that, and her clone gave her an annoyed glance. "At least I get to stay with Sasuke. I guess." She looked over at him and he was ignoring her and looking about at the side of the road. "Maybe I should make another one?"

Naruto shook his head as he looked over at her. "No. One is enough, if you make too many and wear yourself out, the one you've got won't be useful."

The kunoichi was annoyed. "What? You made like twenty!"

"Yeah. I've got a lot more stamina than either of you, because..."

Kakashi spoke up and shook his head. "Uzumaki."

The boy stopped talking and looked ahead towards the village gate. They were approaching the town.

Sasuke lowered his head and growled. He knew what the boy was going to say, and still didn't know quite what it meant. Sakura looked confused, but didn't press the matter.

OooOOooOO

Kugami was a bit of a surprise considering the approach. The streets were bustling, merchants were standing on the corners selling wares, food, and residents crowded the main street going about their business.

Sakura and the three nin moved through the crowd. The girl looked about and shuddered. "This place...I'm not sure why, but it reminds me of the Wave Country village."

Sasuke looked surprised. "Really? They've got plenty to eat and sell from the look of it." He noticed guards with spears standing on a lot of the corners looking rigid and alert. The street was clean, and smoke was rising from the rooftops of the businesses and a few of the homes. There were the mutterings and noise of business, but no other sounds they could hear.

The group approached the huge mansion at the center of town. Several armed guards stood about the gate, with one in particular standing out. He was a broad shouldered man with a scar running diagonally across his face over his nose. He watched them approach with his arms crossed over his chest and gave them a grin. "Ah. Welcome, you must be the Leaf Nin the Counselor sent for." He gave a short bow and waved his arm to welcome them through the gate. "I am the town Sheriff, Mukashi."

Kakashi gave a nod and looked about. "Seems like things are going well here. What seems to be the problem? We weren't given much information."

The man walked with them as they passed through the gate. "Well. I think it's best if I let the Counselor explain. It's a bit sensitive, and talking about it makes the guards and villagers nervous."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was standing on the rooftops of the village back streets. Sasuke was standing with him.

The raven haired boy seemed confused. "This is weird."

His companion nodded. "Yeah. It's completely different here than on the main street. I wonder what's up?"

Sasuke frowned as he looked down at the dirty streets below. There was an odor from them that they couldn't smell on the main street. "There's almost no one around. The doors are all shut up."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I think everyone is on the main road. I don't see anyone who looks like they're from out of town either."

Sasuke was looking out across the village with binoculars again. He handed them off to Naruto and shrugged. "So what?"

Uzumaki frowned as he peered across the rooftops and scanned them with care. "The nearest town is three days from here in Tea Country. All the Inn's look empty. This is a major trade route, and I don't see any traffic passing through here. This is the only road out of Tea Country. Fire Country is the only country that borders it."

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe they like shipping things? I've heard they've got a big Navy, and everyone knows about Tea Country's Merchant Marines."

Naruto pulled the lenses off his eyes and glared at the ground. "That doesn't make sense to me. Sure they do a lot of shipping, but shipping is expensive, and not as safe. It costs a lot more than running most goods across land. There are a few exceptions, and some places you can't get to without a ship. Still, Fire Country has pretty relaxed border and trade laws as well. We're in the middle of just about everyone else. So a lot of trade passes through our borders at some point. We've got good relations with Tea Country as well. I've not heard anything about hostilities with them. Most of the trade with the eastern island nations comes off our ports, after traveling across land through our borders."

Sasuke shrugged. "Great. So you're an economist now too? What's that mean?"

Naruto frowned. "I hate politics. Something is up, and it looks like both Tea and Fire Countries have stopped running trade through here for some reason."

His companion shrugged. "What do we do then?"

Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "We keep digging about to learn more. If you want to be useful as a Ninja, you need to keep your ear open for politics. Sometimes it can give you an idea about what you might be doing in the future. Don't forget, part of our job is being spies and assassins. That means putting up with a lot of boring crap sometimes."

Sasuke frowned. "Ask around? The villagers might know something maybe?"

Naruto shook his head. "Once Kakashi and gets out of his meeting with the Counselor, we'll see what we've learned there. We might not be able to ask anyone here about this, and from the look of things..."

"What? You don't think the people here will say anything?" Sasuke frowned.

Naruto shook his head. "I doubt it, take a look." He handed off the binoculars and pointed towards a heavy stone building that looked like a small fort.

Uchiha frowned and growled a bit. It was a prison, and there were lots of people there. They were dressed in rags, chained together, some being held by racks, and a large chopping block stained with blood. "What the?"

The blond boy gave a serious nod. "This place isn't what it seems. Something bad is going on here." He paused and looked over his shoulder. "I think Sakura and one of me have found something in the woods. I'm not sure yet though."

OooOOooOO

Sakura and Naruto jumped down from the trees. Naruto pulled aside the brush and looked over his shoulder at his companion. "There's a trip wire there." He pointed at a small path with a vine just across the ground a few inches over the dirt. In front of them was a pulled back branch with sharpened wooden spikes attached to it.

The kunoichi gave a serious nod and frowned. "A trap?"

Naruto gave a nod and glanced back at her. "Yeah. This isn't for catching game either. One of my clones stumbled across it."

"What should we do then? Report back?" She looked into the woods ahead.

Naruto shook his head. "There's something up ahead. This looks like some sort of defense against intruders. We should see if we can figure out what it is."

"There will be more ahead then." The girl hung her head a little and looked a bit nervous.

The boy shrugged. "Well, even if we set one off, the worst that will happen is our jutsu will break. Relax. Come on." He stood up and put his fingers up. "Henge..." A moment later, he was dressed in simple and dusty looking clothes with brown hair.

"What?" She seemed surprised. "What are you doing?"

He looked up at her. "Change into something like this. We're gonna try and get someone's attention."

The girl seemed confused, but performed the jutsu and appeared clothed in a simple but worn looking dress and red hair. "Like this?"

Naruto nodded. "That will work. Come on." He hopped over the trip wire and started walking along the path in the open.

After several minutes, the pair avoided three similar traps, a spiked log, a covered pit, and another of the dangerous branch traps. They found themselves in a place where the path split in five different directions.

As they moved into the center and looked down the paths, several armed men appeared around them.

"Well, what have we here?" There were ten men, three with bows, two with swords, and five more with spears. The pair was surrounded, and Naruto put his hands up. The one in the lead was wearing a sword, and all of them were dressed more like villagers than mercenaries or bandits.

Sakura looked a bit alarmed. "Who are you people?"

The leader of the group frowned. He had shoulder length brown hair and striking blue eyes. He looked to be in his mid twenties, and was looking to his companions. "I don't know these kids."

The others looked confused and shrugged or shook their heads at him. He turned to face the pair. Naruto frowned as he noticed they all had a Leaf symbol embroidered on their collars. It wasn't the same as the one from Konoha though. Rather a branch, with a small leaf growing from it's center pointed up.

"Who are you? What are you doing out here?" He put his sword away and frowned at them. "It's dangerous for someone your age to be out here."

Naruto shrugged. "We're from Tanzaku. My sister and I were separated from our parents about two days ago, they were merchants on their way to Tea Country. We were hoping to meet them in the village, but we got lost in these woods after we almost got killed by a trap some jerk set up."

The man frowned at them. "Siblings huh? You don't look much alike."

Sakura glared at her companion. "He's adopted. Who the heck are you? What's the big idea jumping out at us this way?"

The lead man looked at his companions. "You're lucky you weren't killed wandering about out here." He pointed at the two men behind him. "You two, keep an eye on them and bring them with us. We'll take them back with us, and let Tanuki decide what to do with them."

Naruto seemed annoyed. "Who the heck is 'Tanuki'?"

The man behind him frowned. "No more questions brat. Just start moving." A poke at his back got him staggering forward.

OooOOooOO

Kakashi stood in front of a long table loaded with food. A portly man with a mustache and fine purple suit was sitting in front of it, pushing berries into his mouth as he watched them approach. The three Genin stood behind their instructor and stayed silent. "We're from Konoha. What seems to be the problem?"

The man glared at the nin and slammed his hands onto the table. His Sheriff frowned and glanced at the Jounin. "What the hell is this? I paid B rank rates, and I get sent one Jounin and three brats?"

Mukashi put up his hand. "Sir. This is Kakashi, a famous nin of Konoha. I assure you, it will be enough for our problem. This is the perfect man for the job."

The man's jowls quivered for a moment. He seemed to calm and sat down. "Very well. It had better be."

Kakashi glanced at Mukashi and looked up at the Counselor. "What seems to be the problem, sir? We weren't given much information."

The portly man shoved a cherry tomato into his mouth and glared at the window in the large dining hall. "Tanuki."

Naruto gave a small blink. "A raccoon?"

Sasuke seemed annoyed. "What are we? Pest control? Sounds like another D ranked mission to me."

The fat man gave him a humorless smile and looked like he wanted to slap the boy. "Don't be stupid. Tanuki is a man. He's the bandit king, and terrorizing this village from his hidden base in the woods surrounding us. We can't find him. None of the men I've sent to hunt him has come back. I'm tired of wasting guards. They're expensive, and none of the trade caravans are making it through anymore. With no trade, we're running short on funds, and supplies."

Naruto gave a rough snort.

Sasuke seemed annoyed. "Doesn't look like you're short on food to me."

Kakashi rolled his eye and seemed a bit embarrassed.

Mukashi turned his eyes on the boy and frowned. "Well, without the trade coming in from Tea Country, and exports moving out from Fire Country, what we have, won't last long. We've been prosperous for a long time. The village is still doing well as you saw. It was decided it was best to take care of this before things got desperate."

Kakashi nodded. "So, you want us to take care of this bandit for you. Hunt him down, and get rid of him."

The portly Counselor nodded. "That's right. Dead or alive. I'd prefer alive. I want him hanging in my gallows if I can. I won't be upset with just his head though. Do whatever it takes to take care of the problem."

The Genin all looked at each other. Kakashi gave a small nod and turned away. "We'll see what we can do." He waved at his students. "Come on."

OooOOooOO

Sakura and Naruto were on their knees in a large clearing. There were wooden huts with thatched roofs hanging from the trees with simple wooden suspension bridges between them. Their hands were tied, and they looked around them at about twenty men moving about the camp. Everyone was armed, and there were a few women and children looking on from the shelters. He noticed some of the people surrounding them were watching them close while folding up cloths that didn't look much like clothes.

Sakura leaned in towards Naruto. "What is this place?"

The boy glanced at her and spoke from the corner of his mouth. "Some sort of bandit camp, keep quiet." He didn't want one of the men to get rough trying to shut them up and knock them out of the Jutsu. They'd been pretty gentle with them so far, they appeared as normal children.

A man with long blond hair and handsome features stepped out in front of the men that stood around them as guards. The one who was leading the party that had captured them walked up to the man. "We found them wandering about the woods. They claim to be lost from Tanzaku and separated from their parents. Seems they expected to meet them here."

The handsome man had a bow over his shoulder and a sword at his side. "Unfortunate. I don't expect their parents will show up here. No one comes through Kugami these days. They probably heard and turned away by now." He leaned in and peered at the pair. "What of those visitors?"

The swordsman that had captured them shrugged. "A Nin from Leaf Village, and three Genin. All of them were seen going to see the Counselor. They're all in the village and speaking with him right now."

Naruto seemed to get rather glazed eyes. "Hey. What the heck is goin on anyway? Who the heck are you guys?"

Sakura was giving him a glare. "What do you mean our parents won't come here? Why not? They said they were traveling to Tea Country! This is the only road!" She looked alarmed and afraid.

The blond man chuckled. "I am the great Tanuki. The bandit king, and leader of these joyous men. You're trespassing in my little kingdom I'm afraid. Kanzaki? What have you heard about their story?"

The man nodded. "It's possible they speak the truth. One of our traps near the road was set off."

The blond man nodded. "Why did you leave the road?"

The girl flushed. "I had to pee."

Naruto turned his head and looked away. "That's not what it sounded like to me."

Sakura whipped her head around to glare at him as her cheeks flushed. "Shut the hell up you jerk!"

Tanuki frowned at the pair. They were acting very much like siblings. "We'll allow no merchants to pass this road. The people of this village suffer and starve in the grip of the evil Counselor, while he grows fat and rich on the trade that passed through here." He turned his back on the pair. "Let it not be said that I am incapable of mercy though. Take them to the edge of the wood and set them free." He looked back at them both. "You won't find your parents in that village. Go back to Tanzaku and wait for them there."

The pair looked at each other and then up at the man again. Neither one spoke for a moment as the men moved up behind them.

"Wait. What's the deal with this place?" The boy looked confused as Kanzaki stepped between them and put his hands on their shoulders. "How does stopping trade and bothering merchants help these people anyway?"

The blond man glanced back at them with deep green eyes. Sakura flushed and looked away. Naruto looked irate with her for a moment.

"We steal from the rich, and use the money and food to feed and clothe the poor people of this village." He turned away. "No one leaves this village alive once they enter. The evil Counselor and his bastard Sheriff hold the people here captive, and tax them into poverty while he grows fat and rich in his mansion. Once you reach the edge of the forest, leave this cursed place and don't look back. If we find you in these woods again, we'll kill you. You're not welcome here, and you won't find any more hospitality in the village. You've been warned."

The man they now knew as Kanzaki lifted them up by their binds and shoved them ahead of him. A short time later he cut their wrist free and pushed them out of the edge of the forest into the open fields. "Get lost. Don't come back." He stood and watched them walk away from the edge of the wood.

Naruto rubbed at his wrists and started walking away with Sakura. The man kept his eyes on them for a long time. "What a jerk." They were almost a half mile away when he turned back into the woods.

Sakura looked confused and just as annoyed. "This is weird. What's with that guy? I mean, the Counselor called us here right? If he's doing all that, why would he do this?"

Naruto gave her a grin as he glanced over his shoulder. "Heh. That Tanuki guy. His drawing fingers are worn and have thick calluses on them. He's really good with that bow of his. I'm betting the Counselor hasn't been able to catch him, so he sent for us to deal with him."

The girl gave a heavy sigh. "Too bad, he was kind of hot."

Naruto looked a bit sick. "Gross!"

She frowned at him. "I didn't say he wasn't a jerk."

The blond shinobi gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah. Well, I'm willing to bet that Counselor guy is planning to get rid of us to make sure we don't report back too."

Sakura was looking a little winded and sat down on the grass. Naruto smiled and patted her shoulder. "Good job. Come on, we'll break the jutsu. We've found out all we can here, and we're out of that jerk's sight now."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was standing against the wall next to the gate just outside the village. He looked towards the west end of the wood as Kakashi walked out with himself and his two fellow students. He motioned for them to move to the eastern wood and vanished.

After a few moments of walking into the brush. The group of nin sat around in a huddle. Kakashi spoke up first. "What do we know so far?"

Sasuke looked back towards the village. "This place isn't doing that well. Aside from what we saw on the main street, the houses and businesses are empty. There's not much food, the homes almost looked abandoned. I think everyone in town was putting on a show when we got here."

Naruto nodded. "Yes. That's not entirely true. The villagers have food and money, but it's hidden away. Whatever they've got in their homes is concealed carefully. In secret compartments, as if they're expecting to be searched and robbed."

Sakura seemed to agree. "Yes. This Tanuki guy, his camp is to the west of us. He's got lots of traps set up around it. There are about thirty of them all together, including a few women and children. He's been raiding the merchant caravans, stealing money and food, and giving it to the villagers."

Naruto frowned. "Well, that's what he claims. He's doing a bit of that, everyone in the village has a little food and money hidden away. I'm betting it's thanks to him. He also claims that the Counselor is taxing them, and won't let anyone leave. His prison is full, and it's obvious there's been a few executions recently. The chopping block is still dirty. It looks ready to be used again at a moment's notice."

Kakashi frowned. "He's the representative, but he doesn't have the authority to levy taxes or authorize executions. There's no judge or court here. The Sheriff has the authority to arrest and imprison criminals, but he's got to send them to Agamura for trial. Taxes are a national affair. He'd need approval from the Trade Board, and it would be imposed on all of us, not just here."

Sasuke frowned. "Sounds like he's running some sort of racket."

Uzumaki frowned. "That doesn't make sense though. He'd have to know that someone would notice sooner or later. This isn't a huge village, but it's not some backwater burg either. It seems that this Tanuki guy and the Counselor are having some sort of dispute. The rest of it doesn't make sense though. What's his angle here?"

Kakashi frowned. He rubbed at his chin. "The local Magistrate has the authority to levy taxes and control trade in Tea Country."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. This isn't Tea Country though."

Sasuke looked confused. "Wait a minute. What was with all those guards anyway?"

Kakashi nodded. "We've got a big problem."

Sakura looked confused. "Huh?"

Naruto seemed to realize it as well. "Yeah. This place isn't under Fire Country's control anymore. That would explain why no one at the Capitol could tell us what's going on. It would seem we're in the middle of some sort of local civil war."

"Tea Country wouldn't send trade through a war zone until they knew it was safe." Kakashi crossed his arms and legs as he sat down to think. "I'm not even sure we should be here. We've probably halted trade ourselves until the mess clears up. I don't think anyone really knows what the status of this place is at all right now."

Sasuke glared over his shoulder. "Shouldn't we be sending troops instead of a ninja team then? I mean, if they're taking this place over by force..."

Sakura was looking a bit shocked and angry. "If the Counselor is still working for Fire Country's Capitol, then he's a traitor. He's obviously running this place like a Tea Country village. Why send for us to take care of these 'bandits' of his though?"

Naruto chuckled. "I think I get it. Tea Country doesn't have a village like Konoha. He's under siege by these bandits, and he can't get his new friends to bail him out. He's trying to defect the village politically, and not by force of arms. Sending an armed force to help him out would be seen as an act of war by Fire Country, and Tea Country doesn't have the forces to oppose that. This is an important trade hub, and Tea Country would very much like to get it's hands on it."

Kakashi nodded. "Right. If it seems like the people here simply wanted to defect to Tea Country, they could set up defenses under the implication they are defending the rights and wishes of the people who live here. That would make it easy to put political pressure on Fire Country to just let the matter go and negotiate."

Sakura seemed confused. "So what do we do then? Help those bandits? They're..."

Naruto shook his head. "They're in on it."

Everyone turned to look at him.

The boy chuckled. "They're trying to buy off the villagers support. You see, the Counselor is using Fire Country uniforms on the guards. He's operating under our flag. The bandits to the west of here are using Tea Country's markings while operating as saviors and heroes to the villagers. The village sees Tea Country as the only relief, and sympathetic to their poverty, while the Counselor forces them to hide it from visitors under armed guard with our flag. That makes us seem like the villain. Those people we saw on the street didn't have a choice about being there. It was all a show. Some of them were wearing chains under their clothes."

"You're right. That guy's men couldn't tell if we were from the village or not. That was odd." Sakura seemed confused. "Wouldn't the Villagers know us as Leaf Nin? Why wouldn't they ask for help or say something?"

"That's the point, and why they were all standing about in the main road when we showed up. He wanted them to see us. If anyone had spoken to us, they'd be afraid of that prison Sasuke and I saw, and that chopping block. We're here to kill their hero, and I'm betting our friend the Counselor is letting everyone know about it right now, and probably before we showed up as well." Naruto smirked at them. "Quite a clever ruse. They must think we're stupid. That camp isn't even two miles away from the village. There's no way that many men couldn't find it. It's huge, and hanging from the trees in plain sight. I'm betting some of the villagers have seen it, and that it had Tea Country flags hanging all over it when they did. I noticed them folding up flags when they brought us there. I couldn't see what was on them, but their collars all had the Tea Country symbol on it, so I can venture a guess on what they were."

Sasuke growled and clenched his fists. "Bastards. I thought it was weird seeing all those guards. No village in Fire Country would have so many just standing about on the streets acting like a police force."

Naruto nodded. "Yup, you're catching on."

Sakura seemed confused. "So what do we do? We kill them? Both sides maybe?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. We can't just walk in there and start killing all of them. That could cause a panic and a real mess. It might be worse than just leaving things as they are."

Naruto started drawing in the dirt at his feet. "We avoid this Tanuki, and wait for Fire Country to send in forces to back us up. Then expose their plot. I'm betting those bandits are waiting to ambush us, they think we don't know they know about us. If we try to use a messenger bird, that Tanuki guy won't let it get very far. He's a master with that bow of his."

Sasuke seemed surprised. "So, how do we send our message then? What do we do?"

Kakashi gave a shrug. "We give them a distraction and leave. It's likely the Counselor will assassinate this Tanuki, and try to pin it on us."

Naruto gave a serious nod. "Right. That's why we've got to refuse the job before we go, and make sure the village knows it. In fact, that's probably the best distraction we can make."

Kakashi nodded and seemed pleased. "Clever. I'll send word that we've completed our mission to the Counselor and tell him we'll be showing up this evening. That will confuse this Tanuki character since he hasn't seen us, and he'll probably get everyone together to see it."

Naruto gave a cheerful nod. "Right. Then we slip off while everyone is distracted and send word to the Fire Country government."

OooOOooOO

The fat man stood on a platform in front of the village with shock on his face. A hangman's noose was next to him, with an executioner standing beside him. "What?"

Kakashi gave the man a shrug. The entire village was standing around him looking on with wide eyes in shock. "I said the job was done. I never said I'd captured your criminal. He's free to continue what he's doing."

"I paid you, a B rank rate!" The man's jowls shook, the three children were standing behind their instructor grinning at him like idiots. "I want that bastard!"

Kakashi gave a nod. "My orders were to come here, assess the situation, and report back to my superiors before taking action."

The Counselor jabbed his finger at the man. "You can't do this, do you have any idea who I am? You'll rot in prison for the rest of your life."

The nin nodded. "Yes. I do. I'm afraid that it's you who has violated Fire Country's laws, and your Sheriff with you. In two days, a rather large force of soldiers will be here to relieve you of your duties. You've got no right to levy taxes, perform executions, or disrupt trade in this village. In fact, you're acting like a Tea Country Magistrate. You'll be arrested, and your accomplice in the wood will be treated as an enemy spy and likely executed if he's captured. Did you really think we wouldn't figure it out? You're trying to force a defect to Tea Country using your friend 'Tanuki' to make them look like saviors and heroes. It's just a political lie."

The fat man shook with rage. "You...you're under arrest!" His Sheriff had his sword drawn and moved towards the man. The guards all pointed spears at the trio. They looked uncertain and nervous.

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't matter. You see, the message has already been sent. It's too late for you to stop it."

The portly man laughed. "Fool! No messenger can escape this wood! You'll all die here! Guards! Arrest these fools! We'll make use of these gallows yet!"

Naruto gave a rough snort from his instructor's side. "Idiot. We're already gone. There's nothing you can do to catch us."

Sasuke nodded. "It's already too late."

Kakashi seemed to smile under his mask as his students vanished in puffs of smoke from behind him. "Yes. I'd suggest you and your friend in the woods clear off before the soldiers arrive. They'll free the villagers, and you might be able to find asylum in Tea Country. Provided they don't decide to just hand you back over. I'm afraid that you and your friends in Tea Country's plans have failed. They aren't stupid enough to try and hold this place by force of arms. You've already lost. If there are forces here, it will be considered an act of war. They've broken several treaties already, and none of our mutual allies will support them. You've lost."

The fat man gasped as the Jounin vanished in a puff of smoke. "No! It can't be! How...how..." His eyes went wide as he looked over and saw his Sheriff slumped down with an arrow in his neck. "No..." He fell to his knees as he saw a familiar man with green eyes and long blond hair standing on one of the rooftops with another arrow already notched.

Tanuki gave a smirk as he aimed. "A shame. I would have gotten away with it if not for those meddling kids." He let his arrow fly, and the Counselor fell over on the wooden deck of the gallows with an arrow embedded in the center of his forehead. The man jumped away and passed by the men who were standing behind him on the rooftops. "Come on, it's time to go. There's nothing for us here, we've failed." They jumped across the rooftops and out of the town gates into the shadows towards Tea Country.

The villagers looked on in shock. No one knew what to say or do. The guards looked confused, but in the end, a large cheer erupted through the crowd. First started by a tired looking man in chains, and then spread throughout the crowd.

OooOOooOO

The Hokage puffed on his pipe several days later. In his hand was a note. He had a wry grin on his face as he looked out across the village and trees that stretched into the distance. Team Seven would be returning to Konoha again, and Kagura was once again safe and in the hands of Fire Country's government. The reports of what had happened were disturbing, and a few members of Tea Country's Cabinet had stepped down, and the Counselor and his Sheriff had been killed by their own accomplices. It ended peacefully, and almost no one had noticed the event had even happened in either country. Only one small village, a few government officials, and four people who would be returning in a day or so knew the details besides him. They'd resolved the mess without drawing a weapon amongst them. He was very impressed indeed.

As the old man looked out over his village his grin grew a little wider. He was looking forward to the exams more than ever. It would be a very interesting test indeed.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Time passes by...


	8. Chapter 8

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 8

Time passes by...

OooOOooOO

Haruno Sakura was in the middle of the third day of her fourth B ranked mission with Team Seven. She was alone, and hidden in the shadows above a hallway. It was about ten in the evening, and a group of nine men were walking through a long hallway inside a wooden outer wall to a large complex. The floor was stone, and windows lined one side of the hallway, letting in moonlight from outside. There was a large courtyard with two smaller traditional buildings inside the outer wall.

There were no torches or lights on the walls, and she was sitting on top of a support beam in the shadows overhead. Her breathing was slow and controlled, and she watched the men move towards her at a slow deliberate pace. They were lined up two by two, six men deep, with a single man walking behind them, with two more behind him.

She'd learned quite a bit over the past few months. Kakashi was a good teacher, but her training with Naruto and Sasuke had done more for her. She was silent, her scent was hidden, and her hands steady as she crouched on the thick wooden beam waiting. They'd taught her to train with a shadow clone on the way back from their first B ranked mission. She'd improved much faster since then.

Her lips turned up a bit as the two men at the rear turned off into a door on the right side of the hall. The others continued on their way, moving by underneath her.

She was prepared, they'd been watching these events for the past two days. It was going as planned, like clockwork. The group passed under her, and she lowered a wire with the ends in each of her hands as the man at the back of the group moved by below her. He never noticed the thin loop fall gently around his neck.

The girl jumped down, pulling the wire tight as she fell. The gloves on her hand kept them from cutting into her palms as the force of her silent landing lifted his feet two inches off the ground. He was twitching, unable to make a sound as the wire cut deep into his throat as he hung. The man twitched, struggling to make any sound as the six men with him continued to walk away, unaware.

The girl kept the wire tight, leaning back and wrapping them around the handle to the door that the other two had entered. It left her target dangling there, as soon as he was secure, she vanished, breaking her jutsu.

OooOOooOO

Sakura looked up at Kakashi, she was at his side as the man looked on at the scene through one of the windows on the opposite side of a lake from the compound. "He's dead." Her instructor nodded. "We're clear." The headset on his ear with a microphone contacted the rest of his team.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke slid a door open and peered into the candle lit room. In front of him, a man of about fifty was sitting in meditation. There was a shrine in front of him with a photo of another old man who had died in recent times. His eyes were closed, and he said nothing as he sat still and deep in thought.

The Uchiha boy slid across the tatami mats that made up the floor. His movements created no sound and he prowled forward like a cat. His movement careful and his muscles tense. Without saying a word, he reached up and grabbed the man by the hair on the back of his head, pushing a kunai into the back of his throat with his palm as he did so. Blood erupted from the front of the man's throat and mouth as his eyes went wide. He never managed a scream.

The boy pushed him down on his side and moved towards the shrine. In one of the offering bowls was a small scroll. He took it, opened it, and checked it's contents with the candles. As he turned around, he closed it up.

The sound of footsteps moving towards him caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head. There was a window nearby, and he rushed over and grabbed the top, swinging himself upwards instead of jumping out of it.

"Murder!" A male voice cried, the sound of armor and weapons could be heard from the room below him. He was on the roof and slipping back on the clay tiles. He saw the shadows of men looking out the window and around the grounds outside of it in the candlelight from the room and smiled a little. A moment later, he was slipping towards the top of the roof. When he reached the crest he laid himself flat on his belly.

He reached down to his side with care, and turned on the radio on his belt. "I've got it. Target down." He whispered and shut off his radio again.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was on the rooftop of a large building at the center of the compound. He could see Sasuke from where he was, and put a larger scroll into his shirt as he looked around. There were men running about in excitement, searching the grounds. There was a covered walkway that he could move across to the outer wall, but he couldn't move across it without being seen. He already had an answer for that problem though. He crouched low, and pulled a small detonator from his pocket. With a flick of his thumb, and the push of a button, the wall opposite where he needed to go exploded. Creating a hole that looked like it was meant as an escape route. As expected, the guards ran towards it. He slipped across the covered walkway, and over the wall.

Sasuke landed beside him. There were no windows nearby and a lake in front of them. The pair slipped into the water, and a split second later, two ducks were swimming away amongst several others that were already on the water. They were moving away from the noise in the compound, quacking with excitement and looking nervous. None of them took off, but they were all swimming away.

OooOOooOO

About five minutes later, Naruto and Sasuke took breathing tubes out of their mouths as they pushed themselves off shore on the other side of the lake. The tubes went to the two fake ducks on their heads and they removed them as they moved into the brush of a small forest just off the shore of the lake.

Kakashi and Sakura were already waiting in the shadows there to meet them.

The Jounin nodded at the pair. "You've got what we came for?"

Both of the Genin pulled scrolls from their shirts. Their instructor nodded and motioned for them to follow. With that, they slipped off into the night.

OooOOooOO

Sarutobi was smiling as Kakashi stood in front of him again. He'd given another excellent report and successful mission. "Well done. If this information had left our borders, it would have been a real mess. The crime boss Gakuma has been eliminated, and we've arrested several terrorists, and eliminated a double agent as well. Fire Country's spy networks would have been devastated had those names been exchanged. A waste of good men for nothing more than greed."

Kakashi gave a serious nod.

The old man sat back and seemed to relax. "We've also acquired several new contracts. It seems you've impressed some important people. Now, the government seeks to contract us to support their own spies on several sensitive missions in the near future. I'll be handing those assignments to the ANBU, don't look so worried."

The Jounin relaxed a little. "Yes. Well..."

The Hokage chuckled. "Your team is impressive. These are all classed as A ranked missions. I'm not about to hand them off to a team of Genin, even one as impressive as yours."

Kakashi seemed to cheer up. "Yes. They're about due for a little time off. We've been gone for most of the month. Sakura has been complaining about missing her family a little."

Sarutobi chuckled and nodded. "Yes. I understand, she is still young after all."

The Jounin agreed. "Yes. All of them are. Sasuke and Naruto don't mind much. They don't really have anyone to miss here."

The Hokage shook his head. "You'd be surprised. Sasuke has been a bit of a loner for a long time. Naruto as well. My grandson has been anxious for his 'rival' to return. Iruka has expressed interest in Naruto as well. He's fond of the boy."

Kakashi seemed to cheer up. "It's odd. The boy is very good with people. He doesn't seem it though. Sasuke and Sakura both get along with him better than I expected. At times, I think he's what holds this team together. I've not had to do much myself as of late. They're all coming along very well."

The old man nodded. "You can expect to be in the village for at least a week, maybe longer."

The Jounin looked a bit surprised. "That's good. They could use a break. Sakura was a bit nervous about having B ranked missions at first, she's adjusted very well."

Sarutobi nodded. "She's also gotten her first kill."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Sasuke killed that serial rapist in Otafuku on our last mission." He lowered his eye and gave a small sigh. "He was a missing Chunin of Hidden Rock Village. He's gotten another now, the informant who was using Gakuma to sell the names of Fire Country's spies on the black market."

The Hokage puffed on his pipe. "They are handling it well?"

The Jounin nodded. "There doesn't seem to be any problems. Sasuke doesn't seem to have changed. I've not spoken to Sakura, she's been quiet, but she doesn't seem upset. I was planning on speaking with her about it. I've not gotten around to it yet. I may not need to, she's home with her parents now. Still, I'd like to make sure."

Sarutobi gave a serious nod. "Yes. It can be a trying time for a young Genin. Sometimes it can drive a promising student to give up the life of a Ninja."

Kakashi gave a nod of agreement. "I don't think that will be the case this time. She seems to be handling it well enough. I do know it's been on her mind a little though. So, we'll see."

The Hokage looked up at Kakashi. "What of Uzumaki? I'm not asking for a bloodbath, but he's got only two recorded kills. I know that's a lot for someone his age..."

The Jounin shook his head. "I've seen no reason to think it's a problem. He doesn't like killing, but I believe he will if he needs too."

The old man glanced up at Kakashi. "This mission involved two assassinations."

Kakashi looked surprised. "I know. The list of Gakuma's agents was the most difficult target. He took care of that. It was well guarded, and to be honest, I don't think Haruno or Uchiha could have reached it without being seen. The assassinations were easier." He looked at the man's desk. "I let Uzumaki plan and execute our mission. I didn't do more than oversee. I think..."

The Hokage was puffing on his pipe and watching his reaction. "Yes?"

"I think he wanted Haruno to kill someone. Not to be cruel, but to make sure." Kakashi looked at his superior. "I think he wanted to know if he could trust her with something like that in the future."

Sarutobi closed his eyes and nodded. "What makes you say that?" He puffed on his pipe a little more.

"He asked me to keep an eye on her. I would have been watching him, his part of our mission was more dangerous. He had to sneak into the most heavily guarded part of the complex. Gakuma's personal quarters."

The Hokage had a neutral expression on his face. "I see. I'll trust your judgment."

Kakashi puffed his chest out a little and crossed his arms. "Uzumaki isn't squeamish. I'm sure of that. Don't worry, if he needs to take a life to do his duty, he will. I don't think he'd do it for any other reason though, and only if it was required. He doesn't enjoy killing."

Sarutobi frowned and tossed a page onto the desk. "Yes. I need to be sure of that though. Forgive me, it's not that I don't trust you. There's something that needs to be done, and I'd like him to take care of it himself. Alone."

Kakashi looked at his superior in surprise. "Wha? Alone?"

The old man gave a very serious looking nod. On his desk was a photo of a man Kakashi didn't know. He didn't look like a nin.

His Jounin lifted up the picture. "Forgive me, but why? He's not even a Chunin yet, most of our nin don't receive their first solo assassination order until they've been one for a while. Usually not before their tenth mission."

The old man gave a serious nod. "I am aware of that. He's gotten a lot of attention, or rather, very little, none outside of your reports in fact. It's been noticed."

Kakashi gave a small sigh. "There's a bridge named after him in Wave Country."

Sarutobi gave him a smirk as he folded his hands and leaned forward. "Perhaps, but who there would recognize his face? How many of them really saw him?"

The Jounin gave the photo another glance. "I see." He looked up at the old man. "When the Chunin exam is over, you're giving him to Anko aren't you?"

The old man gave him a smirk. "We won't be saying anything to him, but all he's got to do is make it to the final round of the exam and he's passed. That's all I'm going to say about it."

Kakashi turned away and took the photo with him. "I'll give him his orders."

OooOOooOO

Haruno Sakura was sitting outside. She was on a bench, looking up at the stars in the early evening sky. It was quiet, and the street was empty. She didn't look happy, or sad, and had a dazed and blank expression on her face.

"Hey." The girl didn't jump or squeak. She just turned her head and found Naruto sitting nearby. He wasn't right next to her, and was on the back of the bench looking up at the sky with her. Her eyes shifted just past him, and found Sasuke leaning against the end of the bench.

Uchiha didn't look at her and frowned a bit. "Haruno."

She didn't jump up and smile at the raven haired boy like she would have any other time. He didn't want to be there. Uzumaki grabbed the back of his shirt to prevent him from walking away.

The blond nin gave her a cheerful grin. "How are you getting by?" He smacked Sasuke on the back of his head in a light manner. "Cut it out. She's on your team you know. I'm not asking you to date her."

The Uchiha boy seemed to relax a little more as his face fell a bit. "Yeah. I get it." He glanced over his shoulder at her. "You did good." He looked like he meant it, but had a hard time getting it out anyway.

Her face scrunched up and she giggled a bit. "Yeah. Well...I know what you meant now, Naruto."

The hooded boy looked cheerful. It was hard to tell because all she could really ever see of his face was his eyes. "Glad to hear it."

She hung her head. "That guy, he was a jerk. I'm glad he's dead, but..." She opened her palms and stared at them in silence. "It wasn't fun, it wasn't cool. I feel, like my hands are..." She was having trouble finding the right word.

"Dirty?" Sasuke grumbled, keeping his back to them. "They are." Naruto noticed him clench his fist, but he didn't look away from the sky.

The girl nodded. "Yeah. It's strange. I washed them as soon as I got home. They still hurt a little I scrubbed them so hard."

Naruto gave a nod. Sasuke pushed off the bench. "You did good. It's nice to know we can rely on you. You'll get used to it." He walked away and started towards his home.

This time, Uzumaki let him wander off. "Yeah. Something like that." He looked at the ground. "Look. I don't want you to get mad at me for saying this. I'm not trying to...well, scare you off or anything. If you think you should quit because of this, I won't think any less of you. It was harder than I thought the first time."

She looked at him and frowned. "You've not done it since. I'll be fine."

Naruto glanced over at her. "Good. You might need to do it again. It's part of our job you know. I won't do it unless I need too. I was a bit quick to react the first time. Kakashi was right to scold me. I should have left one of them alive. They might not have had any evidence on who they were after on them. We might not have found out until it was too late if it hadn't been Tazuna. I'm glad everything worked out, but I acted too rashly, and it might have cost us."

Her face fell a little. "You regret it?"

He looked up at the stars. "Sort of. I knew I would need to kill to do this job. Just like I know I'll probably need to do it again one day. I might not have the luxury of hesitation to think about it either." He folded his hands over his knees. "I'm certain I'll need to kill. I'm useful as a spy, but I'm also very good at assassinations. My skills lend themselves to that sort of job. I wouldn't be able to avoid it, and I don't really want to."

Sakura frowned and nodded. "Yeah. I've gotten a lot better at being quiet, I'm stronger, and more skilled with weapons now, thanks to you. I understand our tactics better also. Sasuke is a lot better than I am though."

Naruto shook his head. "Not really. Sasuke is a stronger fighter, but you're smarter. I've got to explain things to him more. He's getting much better, but your brain is going to help you do this a lot more than your muscles. In my opinion, you're a better Ninja than he is. Though, I wouldn't recommend trying to take him head on either."

The kunoichi looked surprised. "Huh?"

The hooded boy chuckled. "I'm starting to like that jerk. I hate to admit it. He's not a horrible person, he's just angry, and he thinks he has to be alone to get strong enough. He's wrong though."

Sakura's face scrunched up in confusion. "Sasuke? What do you mean?"

He gave a heavy sigh as he looked towards where the raven haired shinobi had gone. "He's one of those idiots who thinks being powerful, and strong is what makes the best ninja. He thinks the strongest ninja is someone who can do everything himself. You can't be a wimp, but a true ninja's greatest weapon is the mind. The most useful tool a ninja can use is his own skill. Not some super powerful jutsu, or technique. Even that isn't real power though."

The girl was looking at the ground. "What is 'real power' then?"

Naruto hopped off the bench and rustled around in the bushes. He handed her a stick. "Here, break this stick. Just use your fingers and your thumbs and snap it in half."

She took it, and snapped it in half in a split second. "So?" When she looked up, she saw him wrapping a bundle of sticks together.

He handed them over to her. "Now break these sticks the same way."

The girl grunted and struggled. She gripped them and struggled, cracking them, but they held together. Naruto reached in and pulled them away. "That's enough."

She frowned at him. "I almost had it."

"That's not the point." He seemed cheerful again.

The girl looked annoyed. "What was the point then?"

He shook his head. "I'm kind of surprised you've not figured it out already. He took one of the sticks out and snapped it easily. "One stick breaks easily, but together, they are much stronger, much harder to break. Ninja are no different."

The girl gave a serious looking nod. "I understand." She stood up and took a few steps away. After a moment, she looked over her shoulder. "Naruto...thanks."

He gave her a nod and looked up at the sky as she walked away.

Kakashi appeared about a minute later. "Uzumaki."

The boy's head lowered from the sky and he looked at the man. "Sensei?"

His instructor looked pleased. "Good job. I'm afraid I saw that, I was going to talk with Haruno myself."

The boy flushed a little. "Oh. Sorry."

The man shook his head. "No. Don't be. I've yet to regret making you the leader of this squad. Keep it up. You've got an understanding of what you need to learn to be a great leader. I'm a little surprised you managed to get Sasuke to come with you. You're right about him you know. He's got a lot to learn about being on a team, but he's grown a great deal." He sat down next to the boy. "I need to speak with you as well."

The Genin turned his attention to the man. "Sure. What is it?"

His instructor looked very serious. "I've got a job for you, a mission."

The boy nodded. "Huh? Shouldn't you have told all of us then? We were all just here."

He seemed to cheer up a little. "I didn't want to interrupt, and no. This one, is just for you."

The hooded boy frowned as he found himself looking at a photo. "Who is this?"

"A criminal. His name is Jiro Shurando. He's a gangster not unlike Gakuma, but from a rival faction of Yakuza. Now that his competition is gone, he's getting a bit out of hand. We've been asked to take care of him." Kakashi put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's a one man job, and it's not meant to look like an accident. This one is to send a message."

Naruto gave a serious nod. "What are the details?"

Kakashi nodded. "He likes sports, and takes his crew with him..."

OooOOooOO

Jiro looked on at the wrestlers in the center of the ring. He jeered as one of them climbed on top of his favored fighter and pounded on his head. "You bum! Get up!" He sat back down and jerked his coat. "What's that idiot doing? I paid him a lot, he'd better not..."

The man next to him leaned in. "Relax boss. He's gotta make it look good. Both of em know."

Shurando growled. He was sitting between seven other men in the middle. The stairs were right next to them, and vendors walked up and down the stairs with trays of drinks, dried meats, thin bread sticks dipped in chocolate, and other refreshments. One of the spectators a few rows down stood up and waved his hand to one of the vendors calling for a box of candies.

The vendor was wearing a long bright colored coat on his back and had a flag tied to his back. He took a box out of his tray, and smirked. No one saw the shuriken being held under the box by the man's thumb.

Jiro growled as the spectator waved his arm obstructing his view for a second. He went stiff, and his eyes went wide. The man caught his box of food and leaned over to pay the vendor as he walked down to his isle. None of the men sitting with Shurando noticed his neck slump down a little.

The wrestler that had taken a beating got up and seemed to turn the match around, throwing a flurry of attacks that put his opponent on the mat. The vendor walked back up the stairs, tossing a few more of his wares into the crowd. He kept moving up towards the entrance. When he reached the vending carts, he put his tray down next to the vendor's stall and moved towards the bathrooms.

No one noticed that he never came back out.

The man sitting next to Jiro slapped his boss on the back. "See boss! I told ya! Just like I said! We made a killing!" The man slumped forward, a shuriken embedded in the back of his neck, cutting his spinal chord in two. Blood poured out from under his collar as the men surrounding him looked on in horror.

They all jumped up as the crowd jumped to it's feet and started to panic. The men searched the crowd, but couldn't see anyone but panicked patrons putting distance between themselves and the scene. No one noticed the man who had bought a box of candies vanish as the crowd hid him from view.

OooOOooOO

Two days later Naruto was eating a bowl of ramen. He was a bit surprised, one man assassinations paid pretty well. He hadn't done it for the money, but he wasn't going to turn it down either. He'd gotten paid two thirds more than he and his team had for their past few missions.

Iruka was sitting next to him with a grin on his face. "How have you been? I've not heard much recently."

The boy shrugged and gave him a grin. "We've been doing well. None of our missions have been all that difficult."

His former instructor chuckled. "Really? You've got five B ranked missions and an A ranked mission in your records now."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Nothing too serious though. Spying and espionage mostly."

Iruka looked a bit surprised as he drank a cup of tea while the boy ate. "Really? Those are often the most difficult missions."

The hooded boy seemed to think about it. "Yeah. No serious fights or anything though. Not since that mess in Wave Country."

Iruka was looking at the boy with a rather blank expression. "That's good to hear." He sipped at his tea again. "Oh. We've gotten that little manual of yours."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. The old man told me they were going to start using it at the academy."

Iruka seemed a bit lost in thought. "Yes. We've replaced the old tactics book. The whole class is based on that book of yours. I still can't believe it."

Naruto glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

His former instructor narrowed his eyes at the boy. "You. You barely passed a single test, slept through half the classes you showed up for, couldn't pull off a simple jutsu, and then you show up with that book out of nowhere?"

The boy's cheeks flushed a little. "Oh. I guess I see what you mean. I dunno. I just had a hard time paying attention I guess."

Iruka put his chin in his palm and finished his cup of tea. "I used to think you were an idiot. You took two scrolls from the library almost every night, and you still never got more than a seventy percent correct test, and that was your best score. Most of the time you failed miserably."

Naruto looked annoyed, but not at his former instructor. "I hate paper tests. I guess it just never seemed all that important to me. I dunno."

The man shook his head as he stood up and grinned at him. "I'm glad to hear you're doing well. Still, I've got my doubts about you. You were a poor student, and now you're taking B ranked missions as a Genin. I hope you know what you're doing. Don't get in over your head. Good luck."

Naruto gave him a smirk. "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck."

Iruka paid for his cup and rubbed the top of his hood. "You are so weird. I hope you're right though. I'm not sure I trust those two friends of yours, but I've got a feeling they've got a lot to do with this. I hope they're really what you think they are for all of our sakes. Don't be a stranger."

Naruto watched him walk away and gave him a cheerful wave before turning back to his bowl of noodles. He was sitting at the end of the booth and finished up his bowl, drinking up the last of the broth. "Ah. That was good."

A shadow loomed over him from behind. A voice he recognized from the academy spoke up from behind him. "Hey. You're Naruto? Naruto Uzumaki?"

The hooded nin turned his head and didn't show his face to the trio who had moved up behind him.

A female voice sounded a bit confused. "What? What do you want with him?"

Another boy seemed to agree. "Hey? What's the deal? Who is this guy?"

Naruto turned his head back towards the counter and put the money for his meal on the counter. "I'm Naruto. What of it?"

The first voice spoke up. "I'm Nara Shikamaru. I challenge you!"

The hooded nin stiffened up in surprise. "Huh?" He turned to look behind him. The boy was taller than him, had his black hair tied back in a ponytail, and was wearing a fishnet shirt, with an earring in each ear.

A skinny blond girl with long hair gasped in surprise. "What?!"

The chubby boy was wide eyed. "Huh? That ain't like you! What did this jerk do? You want me to cream him?" He had brown hair and was a little shorter than Naruto, but not by much. He was eating a bag of chips, and had several bags of snacks poking out of his pockets.

The tall boy looked annoyed at his two friends. "Shut up! Stay out of this!"

Naruto hopped off his stool and looked the boy up and down. "What the heck is it?" All three of them were in his class, and had been assigned to Team Ten.

Shikamaru pointed his finger at the boy. "Come with me! I challenge you!"

OooOOooOO

A short time later the group found themselves standing near a fountain. There was a bench right next to them, and a lot of open room between them and the fountain.

The girl and chunky boy seemed confused. She spoke up and stepped forward. "Shikamaru, are you sure about this? I mean..." She was giving Naruto an unpleasant frown.

The dark haired boy was glaring at Naruto. "I said stay out of this! You! I challenge you!"

The hooded boy gave a heavy sigh. He scratched his head. "What's this about? Who the heck are you? What did I do to you anyway?" The only reason he hadn't already vanished, was that he wasn't sure what the boy was upset about.

Shikamaru sat down on the bench and slammed something down on top of it.

Naruto stared at the wooden square and took a step back. "Huh?"

The Nara boy pointed at the other end of the bench. "Sit down. I want to see how good you really are!"

His two companions looked just as surprised as Naruto.

The girl's face fell. "I should have known."

The large boy got a grin on his face. "Yeah. No way he'd challenge someone to a fight. I was wondering what was up."

Naruto seemed to relax and looked down at the Shogi board. "Oh. I remember you three. You were in my class. You're Ino and Choji right?"

The pair nodded as he said their names.

The girl flashed him an annoyed glare. "You're on Sasuke and...Sakura's team. I never really noticed you before." She said the kunoichi's name with a bit of irritation in her tone.

Choji grunted. "Me either. What's up Shikamaru?"

The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a book. "This." He slapped it down next to the board.

Ino's face fell, Naruto arched his eyebrow, and Choji looked a little sick. The girl spoke up. "That boring tactics manual?"

The large boy shoved more chips into his mouth. "That thing made my brain hurt. You've been reading it since we got it."

Shikamaru had a strange grin on his lips as he glared at Naruto. "Yeah. It's brilliant, and this guy..."

The hooded nin gave a small sigh and nodded. "Oh. I get it now."

His opponent nodded. "He's the one who wrote it."

Ino glared at the hooded nin. "Kick his ass!"

Choji almost choked, but managed to swallow. "T-this guy wrote that thing? It was awful! All of us had to read it! Get him Shikamaru! I've still got a headache from that stupid thing! Didn't make any sense!"

The girl jabbed her finger at Naruto. "Yeah! It was the most boring thing I've ever had to do! I hate that guy!"

Uzumaki seemed annoyed with them. "So. I guess we play a game then?"

Shikamaru had already set up the board. "You want to go first?"

His opponent shrugged. "If you want. Doesn't matter to me."

OooOOooOO

Four hours later...

Choji and Ino were slumped against the fountain, both looked like they'd passed out from boredom.

Shikamaru was sitting with his legs crossed with his fingers and thumbs touching in what almost looked like some sort of meditation or jutsu. He opened his eyes and moved one of the pieces.

Naruto looked over the board with his jaw resting on his fist. After about a minute of thought, he moved one of his pieces. "Hmmm. Not bad."

Nara looked the board over, took up his pose again for a moment, and moved another piece.

Neither one seemed to notice that Kakashi was sitting on the wall with a book in his hand watching the scene and looking amused. Another Jounin with a cigarette hanging from his mouth was looking at the scene with a grin of his own.

Kakashi spoke up. "They've been at it for about four hours now. What do you think, Asuma?"

The other Jounin chuckled. "I've never seen anyone last this long against Shikamaru. He's one of yours?"

Kakashi gave a nod. "Yeah. He's..."

The other nin gave a nod as he blew out a cloud of smoke. "Uzumaki Naruto. The author of the new tactics manual. I got a little worried, I'd heard he'd gotten into some sort of fight or argument. That isn't like him at all. He's pretty laid back and lazy."

Naruto was looking at the board. He was thinking very hard and giving Shikamaru glances. "This guy...he's really good." He made his move and waited while the boy thought about it.

Shikamaru responded a minute or so later. Naruto looked at the board with calm eyes and an almost lazy air about him. "Hmmm."

Kakashi and Asuma both looked pleased with the scene. Choji and Ino were leaning against teach other, both drooling a bit and giving soft snorts and snores. Shikamaru's teacher spoke up first. "I taught him how to play, and I've never beaten him. Four hours? Amazing."

Kakashi gave a nod. "Yup."

The other Jounin smirked. "That kid is something else. Shikamaru is a genius. His IQ is over two-hundred. I've never seen him take this long to defeat anyone."

Team Seven's Jounin chuckled. "Defeat him?"

Asuma shook his head. "That kid of yours is bright, but..."

Shikamaru stood up. He was looking at the board with his fists balled up. "I-I lost."

Naruto popped his back. "Hey. Good game. I've never had anyone last this long before." He looked cheerful as he stretched his arms. He'd lost quite a few games while he was learning to play strategy games. He'd learned several, but Ken and Ryu hadn't beaten him in more than a year at any of them.

The black haired boy nodded. "I've never lost before."

Uzumaki gave a shrug. "That doesn't surprise me. You almost had me, I was backed into a corner more than once."

Kakashi was chuckling at the look on Azuma's face. "The village is very fortunate. Two geniuses on this level will a great benefit to Konoha." The other Jounin's cigarette was hanging from his bottom lip and dangling.

Shikamaru was kicking his team awake. "Hey. Wake up. It's over."

Choji grumbled and Ino shoved her off him while wiping her mouth with her arm.

The chubby boy stood up. "Man. Took you long enough."

Ino gave a yawn and stretched her arms. "Man. I thought you'd be playing for days. Took you long enough to beat him."

Shikamaru shook his head and frowned at them. "I lost."

Both of his teammates froze and looked shock as they cried out in unison. "What?!"

Naruto was scratching his head and looking at the scene with his usual calm. He looked a bit tired.

Nara looked over his shoulder and grinned. "I'll challenge you again soon."

The hooded ninja nodded. "Sure. Just make sure we've both got time. That took longer than I thought. It was fun."

Asuma stretched his legs out and walked up behind Naruto. He slapped the boy on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Well, that's a relief. I'm getting sick of losing to him all the time. I was starting to feel like a chew toy for one of Kakashi's ninja dogs. It will be good for him to have another strong opponent to play against."

Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Good analogy."

The man frowned at him in a playful manner. "Don't get cocky. I'm still in charge of your training you know. You might regret it later."

The boy shifted his eyes away and clucked his tongue. "Right. How annoying."

"Shikamaru lost at Shogi?" Ino was having trouble getting her head around it.

Kakashi was standing behind Naruto and shrugged at her. "You know, the Hokage printed that manual he wrote for a reason. He didn't do it just to bore you with it. It was so people like Naruto, and Shikamaru could make the most of their potential."

Choji was frowning up at his teammate. "Man. I can't believe you lost to that guy. He's supposed to be a wimp and a chicken."

Ino crossed her arms and stuck her nose up. "Yeah, well Shikamaru is lazy, so I guess they're evenly matched."

Choji shrugged. "Still, I remember this guy. He was supposed to be the dumbest guy in the history of the Academy."

The girl nodded. "Right. That's why they stuck him with Sasuke. I remember now. He's the best, so they stuck him with that unattractive brat Sakura and this guy to make up for it. No brains and no looks to compensate for how great Sasuke is!" She looked pleased with herself.

Naruto looked annoyed and grinned under his mask. No one had teased him in a long time aside from his teammates. These two idiots, he could get back at.

OooOOooOO

Choji was sitting at the dinner table with a wide grin on his face. His plate was heaped with food, and he was loading more on top of what was there. His mother and father didn't notice the hand reach up, and take the salt shaker, and replace it with another before vanishing back under the table.

OooOOooOO

Ino was sitting in her room dressed in a towel. She was rubbing at her head with a smaller towel and humming to herself. She looked at the picture of Sasuke Uchiha that was stuck into the frame for her mirror and gave a heavy wistful sigh. "No way I'm gonna let Sakura beat me!" She winked at herself, kissed her fingers, and pressed them against the photo of Sasuke's lips. "I've got to look my best, way better than that huge forehead with legs!" She lifted an electric hairdryer out of one of the drawers and plugged it in.

OooOOooOO

Choji was in the bathtub with his head under the tap as the cold water flowed into his mouth. He had tears in his eyes and a red face, and there seemed to be steam coming out of his mouth.

His father was looking very confused as he looked down at his son. "What's wrong?"

Choji growled as he sat up. "It was so hot!"

The man turned and looked at the dinner table in confusion. There were no spicy dishes that evening. His eyes wandered across the meal and focused on the one thing he didn't recognize. "Huh? I don't recognize this shaker!" He lifted it up, sniffed it gently, shook a few grains into his hand and tasted it.

It took a moment, but he gulped down a large glass of water as his cheeks started to burn. "What the? This salt...it's been tampered with!"

OooOOooOO

Ino was looking at her hair in shock. Her hair dryer was working fine, until it suddenly spewed a large amount of warm, sticky, white goo all over her head. She jumped up and screamed in revulsion and surprise. She tried to wipe it off with her towel, but found herself prying the cloth away from her hair in a painful manner. "What the hell is this?!" She touched it, and found it to be a sticky paste. As she peered at the stuff on her fingers in shock she narrowed her eyes as she sniffed at it. With great care, she touched it to the end of her tongue and blinked. It was sweet, and familiar. "M-marshmallow?!" She looked at her hairdryer and frowned. There was still some of the gunk dripping from the end, and the appliance was ruined. So was her hair.

"No! This will take hours to clean up!" She rushed to the bathroom, hoping the hot water would last long enough.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting on the fountain. Both homes were near to each other, and hearing the anguished cries were music to his ears. "Heh. Jerks." The Habanero laced salt the fat kid had gotten was fun stuff. He was just as pleased with the heat released capsule of marshmallow cream he'd put in the Ino girl's hairdryer.

Feeling satisfied, he turned to return home. Tomorrow was another day.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Invaders!

Well, this started out as an epilogue to the Chunin exam arc, but got too big. So, now it's a chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 9

Invaders.

OooOOooOO

Sarutobi gave a heavy sigh. Inoichi and Chouza had just left his office. He rubbed at his temples and slumped down in his chair. Tipping his hat up, he smirked at the shaker of salt, and ruined hairdryer that were sitting on his desk.

Both parents had left annoyed and angry. The Hokage was annoyed as well, but not very angry at all. The parents were concerned of course, both of the items were involved in pranks that had played out right under their noses. In their homes, while they were alert, awake, and in the case of Chouza, sitting at the table where it happened.

One of the things Akamichi had brought up came to mind. "What if it had been something more dangerous? Poison?"

This alarmed Yamanaka, and got him even more upset. Akamichi had agreed, and both of them started going on about some sort of threat to the village. That everyone was in danger, and that it was something that needed to be dealt with. As if the culprit should be put to death.

Sarutobi had no intention of doing any such thing. He was planning on ignoring the complaint in fact. Because, as much as he'd had to pretend, Choji's father was right. What if it -had- been full of poison? Just who's table could the boy get it onto if it was? Perhaps the larger question was, who's table couldn't he get it onto?

The old man didn't feel the village was in danger at all. In fact, as annoying as dealing with the prank was, it was something that could be put to good use, and had the potential to help the village a great deal in the future. He had no intention of putting a stop to it.

Dealing with irate parents on occasion wasn't fun, and he'd give Naruto a light punishment and chide him every once and a while. Just to make sure things didn't get out of hand. He didn't want to stop him either, he knew damn well what was going on. The boy was sharpening his claws with these little pranks of his.

As far as the Hokage of Konoha was concerned, it was worth putting up with. Those claws were well disciplined, and were now very lethal. A great asset to a ninja indeed, and a great asset to the village of Konoha.

OooOOooOO

Iruka grinned as Kakashi handed in a few reports. "Thanks. How is Naruto getting along with his team?"

Kakashi gave a nod. "He's doing very well in fact. Even Uchiha is getting along with him." His mind amended the statement a little. "Sort of."

Iruka seemed pleased. "That's good. Sasuke was a bit of a loner, Naruto as well. I'm glad to hear they're getting on. I think they both need it."

Kakashi seemed to think about it. "Yes. They're good friends, though neither one of them will admit it. There's something of a rivalry between the two of them. It's pushing them both to grow stronger. I'm sorry to put it bluntly, but Naruto would kick your butt in about two seconds."

Iruka gave him a rather blank stare for a moment. "Heh. Um...is that so?" He didn't seem to realize Kakashi wasn't joking.

OooOOooOO

It was an early afternoon a few days later, and they'd just been told there was nothing for them to do that day. The trio was walking back towards their homes together until they had to part ways.

Naruto Uzumaki was watching Sakura and Sasuke with a frown on his face. It was kind of annoying him.

The girl was grinning at Uchiha with pink cheeks and almost hopping up and down. "Sasuke! Why don't we go and train, just the two of us?"

The boy was being his usual self. "What for? You'd just slow me down. I've got work of my own to do."

Naruto spoke up. "Hey. Why don't you just enjoy a day off? If you work too hard on physical training, you'll become boring and dull witted." He was standing behind them with hands in his pockets.

Sasuke turned his head to glare at him. "No one asked you. Why don't you take her on a date then?"

Sakura shook her head in a violent manner. "No way!"

The hooded nin gave a sigh. "Yeah. Well, trying to overpower your problems all the time will only wear you out and get your ass kicked sooner or later. Jeez you're thick."

Sakura frowned at Naruto. "I thought you were going off with that Shikamaru again?"

Uzumaki gave a shrug. "We met this morning. He beat me this time. It was a good match."

Haruno's face brightened a bit. "Really? You're still ahead by three games then?"

The hooded boy seemed to think about it. "I haven't been keeping track. I guess so."

Sasuke had stopped walking away and faced his teammate. "What? You want to train with me then? I wouldn't mind slapping you around for a bit."

Naruto gave a sigh. "What? You expect me to stand there and trade punches with you? Like some sort of street fighter? No thanks. If I wanted to do that I'd have joined a dojo."

Sasuke clicked his tongue and smirked. "Wimp."

Uzumaki grinned back. "Whatever. Maybe if you hit one of those trees hard enough it will hit you back? I know where you're going, you're just going to stand around kick trees and throw kunai at targets all day. Let me know if you manage to knock one over."

Uchiha shook his head and wandered off, giving them a small wave. "Well, you keep watching, and maybe you'll learn something."

Naruto gave an amused snort. "Like what? How to be the most inefficient lumberjack of all time?"

Sakura was frowning at Naruto. "What's with you two?" She was thinking he'd gotten in her way. Even though she knew Sasuke wasn't going to respond to her that day already anyway.

The hooded boy gave a shrug. "Don't worry about it. We're fine. He knows I kind of like him, even if he is a thick headed jerk. Having this weird square rock with eye holes cut into it follow me around is a bit strange." He looked over his shoulder at the box. "What is it? You're not fooling anyone you know."

The box lifted up and Konohamaru was standing with another boy with blond hair, and a young girl. The trio was wearing scarves over their faces and hoods.

Sakura looked a bit disgusted. "What the?"

Naruto seemed pleased. "Hey. Nice outfits."

Konohamaru puffed his chest out. "We're trying to copy you, Bro!" He looked at his two friends. "That's the man I view as my rival!"

Haruno walked up behind Naruto. "What the hell is this?"

Her teammate shrugged. "Hey. What's up?" He looked at the trio and seemed pleased with them.

The girl looked up at him. "Leader, are you free?"

Naruto stretched his back. "I guess. I was thinking of hitting up Ichiraku for something to eat later, but I'm not that hungry yet. Then I'm gonna pick up a couple of books or scrolls from the library later."

Konohamaru grinned. "Great! You said you'd play ninja with us today!"

The nin gave a cheerful nod. "So I did."

Sakura looked annoyed. "Why would a ninja 'play' ninja?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder at her. "Well, it's a lot less dangerous than a real mission for starters."

It only seemed to annoy her further. Naruto looked a bit nervous.

"Hey, Bro! Who's this girl?" Konohamaru pointed his finger at the girl.

Naruto frowned at him. "Why are you shouting? Don't forget rule number one."

The boy seemed to think. "Never feel up a girl you don't know unless there's no way she'll know it was you?"

The nin shook his head. "No, that's rule three. Rule one is 'silence is golden', so no shouting. It's annoying, and draws attention to you."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched as she balled up her fists. "What?"

Konohamaru looked over at her and seemed to think of something. He slapped his palm with his fist and jabbed his elbow into Naruto's side. "Hey. Not bad bro!"

The hooded nin seemed confused for a moment. "Huh?"

"She's your...this?" He put out his pinky in a lewd gesture that meant that he was sleeping with her.

Naruto flushed a bit. "Um, well. I guess I wouldn't mind. She's not that bad looking without her clothes."

Sakura was starting to turn red, and steam seemed to rise from her forehead. "What the hell have you been teaching him?" Her fist slammed right into the side of Naruto's head. The girl stomped her foot on the ground and fumed. "How would you know how I look with no clothes anyway?!"

Konohamaru shrieked in anger. "How dare you! You ugly bitch!"

A moment later he was crumpled down next to the same wall Naruto had landed next to. The nin sat up. "Look, Konohamaru, when you see a girl start to turn that color it's best if you just stop talking."

Sakura was stomping off in a huff.

The boy sat up and cradled his head. "Damn it, that ugly huge foreheaded... Are you sure that's a girl, bro? Seriously?"

Naruto was rushing down the street a moment later with the three kids with Sakura hot on their heels.

Konohamaru landed rear first on the ground. He looked up and saw two strange nin, a boy clad in black with kabuki makeup on, and a blond girl with her hair tied back in four short ponytails in a short skirt with fishnet stockings. On her back was a large fan.

The strange boy lifted Konohamaru up by his shirt. "That hurt, you little piece of shit."

The strange girl seemed wary. "Let him go. We'll get yelled at later."

Sakura looked embarrassed as she moved closer to the scene. "I'm sorry. We were just messing around."

The Kabuki boy frowned at her. "Let's have some fun before the boss comes."

Konohamaru was struggling while his two young friends called for him. "Let me go!"

The bully pulled the kid up to his face. "I hate midgets, especially ones that are so rude. Makes me want to kill them."

The girl turned her eyes away. "Oh well, I'm not invol..." She gasped and jumped away with her hands on her rear. "Did someone just grab my...?" Her eyes were wide and she looked rather blank.

Naruto was behind the bully with his sword still in the scabbard in a swing. Another of the hooded nin appeared just in time to grab Konohamaru before he hit the ground. The girl next to the kabuki bully was looking over her shoulder and still rubbing her rear in confusion as it happened.

The young boy seemed to land gently on his rear, just out of striking distance from the pair in front of Sakura. He had a frown on his face as he stood up and glared over his shoulder while dusting off his rear. "Huh? That was...Bro?"

The unknown kunoichi stepped back in shock. She'd not gotten a clear look at what had just occurred, but seemed to realize something had gone wrong with her friend. "What the hell was just happened?"

The kabuki boy growled and rubbed at the back of his head and tried to shake himself back into his senses. He'd taken a hard shot, and hadn't seen who had done it.

The only thing he saw behind him was a Leaf Kunoichi with three children next to her. The boy he'd grabbed was in front of her, rubbing his head and looking confused as he looked around. "Bro? Hey, where did...?"

"What? I'll kill you!" The angry nin turned and started to charge the kunoichi. Sakura frowned and tensed her legs to stand her ground. The three children around her all looked afraid. A stone clattered to the ground as the kabuki boy staggered to a stop and rubbed at the back of his head. "Who the hell?"

Sasuke was sitting on a tree branch holding another rock and tossing it in his palm. "What are you bastards doing in our village?"

Sakura had moved the kids aside near the wall. "These guys are foreign." She noticed they didn't have the leaf symbol on their forehead protectors. Their symbol looked like an hourglass.

The girl with the bully flushed as she looked up at Sasuke. "He's pretty handsome."

Her companion's temper wasn't getting any better. "You punk! Get down here!" He pulled the bundle off his back.

The kunoichi with him seemed surprised. "You're going to use Karasu for this?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and frowned. "What about you? You're just going to stand there while your friends embarrass themselves? What the hell are you doing here anyway? You're not from this village. What's your business?"

A boy with red hair and pale skin was hanging from a tree branch behind him. He ignored Sasuke and spoke to his companion. "Let it go, Kankuro. You're embarrassing the village."

The kabuki boy froze up. "Y-yes, Gaara."

Sasuke frowned. Both of the new nin were apologizing to the boy. Gaara gave both of them a cold look. "Shut up. I'll kill you."

Gaara was looking at Sasuke, thinking that the boy was pretty good. "Sorry to you guys."

The raven haired ninja frowned at him and gave a short nod. It was obvious the strange boy was in charge. His two companions were terrified of him from the look of it.

Gaara jumped down between his companions. "It looks like we got here too early, but we didn't come here to play around. Let's go."

Sakura jogged towards them. "Hey! Wait! You guys are Genin from Hidden Sand Village! You might be allies with Hidden Leaf, but it's forbidden to enter another village without permission. State your purpose, depending on it, we might not be able to let you go."

The girl with the two new nin spoke up. "Don't you know anything?" The girl held up a pass and smirked at them with her hand on her hip. "We're here to take the Chunin selection exam."

Naruto was behind them watching the scene with a calm stare. "Yes. Well, that's no excuse for manhandling children. Watch yourselves. Guests or not, you'll end up in a cell for behaving that way around here."

The trio of Sand nin glared at him as they all craned their necks around to look back at him. He was a short distance away leaning against the wall.

Kankuro frowned. "Who the hell are you? Mind your own business."

The girl clicked her tongue. "Another Leaf Genin?"

Gaara looked the hooded nin in the eyes. "He's..." Naruto didn't flinch, and seemed to be ignoring the Sand leader's two teammates to look him down.

Sasuke landed in front of Sakura on the pavement. "Who are you?"

The girl turned around and smiled at him. "Huh? You mean me?"

The raven haired boy shook his head. "No. The one with the gourd."

"Gaara of the Desert." He nodded at Naruto. "The two of you. What are your names?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uzumaki Naruto." Both of the Leaf Genin gave him a nod.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at the hooded boy and turned to walk away. After he put a little distance between them, he spoke to his two companions. "You two better watch yourselves. That one in the hood will kill you just as fast as I will. Come on. We're leaving."

The girl looked surprised. "Huh? Are you kidding? He didn't even do anything and just showed up. What makes you think that?"

The kabuki nin rubbed at the back of his head. "What? That shrimpy guy? No way!"

Gaara frowned. "He's got...eyes like mine."

The trio of Sand nin vanished a moment later. Both of the nin with Gaara looked confused as they glanced over their shoulders to get another look at the boy their leader had talked about before they vanished, only to find him gone.

Naruto was out of sight by the wall near Sasuke's side. "That guy is bad news."

His fellow Genin nodded. "Yup. This is getting interesting."

The hooded boy kept his eyes down the road where the Sand nin had gone. "I wonder who those three idiots who think they're hiding in the trees up there are?"

Sasuke shrugged and didn't look over at where he was talking about. "More Sand nins? They showed up about when that Gaara kid did."

Naruto shook his head a little. "I don't think so. Maybe though. I'm guessing another village."

Konohamaru was jumping up and down with a grin on his face next to Naruto. "Wow, Bro! That was awesome!"

OooOOooOO

In the tree, three young nin in leopard print pants with music notes on their forehead protectors watched the scene. "What do you think?"

One of them was seated in the middle with a female nin on his left, and another male on his right. His face was wrapped up. "Nothing serious, the black haired Leaf, the Sand with the gourd. We'll keep our eyes on them."

Naruto was squatting down just above them looking down. He wasn't sure what to make of the three strange nin, but decided he should keep an eye out for them. The music note on their forehead protectors was unfamiliar to him.

OooOOooOO

A large group of Jounin were standing in front of the Hokage. The old man had just announced the Chunin exams to the group before him. "First we'll hear from those with new Genin. Well, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai? Are there any Genin you'd like to enter into the Chunin Selection Exam?"

Iruka was standing behind them in the group. He frowned a bit. "There's no need to ask. They aren't ready yet."

Kakashi stepped forward. "Kakashi led Team Seven, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto. Under the name of Hatake Kakashi, I nominate them to take the Chunin Selection Exam."

Iruka looked surprised. "What?"

Asuma and Kurenai both nominated their teams as well.

The Hokage nodded. "Hmmm. All of them, how rare."

Iruka stepped forward. "Hold on a second!"

The old man looked over at him. "What is it Iruka?"

"Hokage, please let me have a word! I may be speaking out of place, but it's too soon for them to take this exam. Most of them were my students at the Academy. Of course they are all very talented, but they need more experience." He hung his head and looked at the three Jounin. "I don't understand the Jounin's reasoning. Are you trying to crush these kids? The Chunin exam is..."

Kakashi stepped forward and looked the man down. "Iruka, when I said Naruto would defeat you, I wasn't joking. I'm sorry if it confuses you, but if you were to face him, you're the one who would be crushed."

The man's jaw dropped and he looked at him with wide eyes. "I...what?"

The Jounin crossed his arms. "I'm starting to doubt your competence."

Everyone in the room looked shocked at that announcement.

"Hey! There's no need..." Iruka was angry and shook his fist.

"That boy wrote the manual you're using to teach tactics at the academy. Team Seven has been performing B ranked missions since we returned from Wave Country, and Naruto already has a successful solo assassination on his record. He'd destroy you."

The man was still wide eyed and turned his eyes at the floor.

"Iruka, I don't hate you, and I'm sorry to say it, but..." Kakashi was firm, but didn't raise his voice. "You're either incompetent, or you're letting your emotions blind your judgment. Stay out of this. They may have been your students, but now they are my soldiers, and I don't expect them to fail. You might not realize it, but Naruto has been leading Team Seven for more than two months now. I've not been doing more than supervising the team and advising. When the exam is completed, I expect him to be a Chunin. I would be more than a little surprised if he were to fail."

Everyone in the room but the Hokage looked surprised at that announcement.

The old man gave a heavy sigh. "Iruka, I don't doubt your abilities as an instructor. However, Kakashi is correct. I'm accepting his nominations, as well as team eight and ten's nominations."

Iruka hung his head and stepped back, looking embarrassed and angry. He growled a little and said nothing more.

OooOOooOO

Sakura seemed irate. She was frowning and glaring at the water under the bridge they were standing on. "How can this be allowed?! Why does he tell us to be somewhere and then show up late?!"

Naruto was leaning against the railing of the bridge. He gave a yawn and shrugged at her. "Well, he's never been on time. Why are you surprised?"

She gave him a pout and turned her nose up. "What about the feelings of a girl who overslept and didn't have time to blowdry her hair?"

Naruto chuckled a little.

She turned towards and jabbed her finger at him in anger. "What's so funny!?"

The hooded nin shook his head. "Huh? Not you, just thought of something funny that involved a hairdryer."

Sakura's anger faded a little. "Huh?"

Her teammate seemed amused. "Don't worry about it. You had to be there."

Sasuke frowned. "Why does everything have to be so high tension with her anyway?"

Kakashi called down at them from the supports above the bridge. "Morning people! Sorry, I got lost on the road!"

Sakura screeched up at him. "You liar!"

Naruto nodded. "She's right. You're not very good at being dishonest you know."

The Jounin ignored them and hopped down in front of the trio. "I've nominated you for the Chunin Selection Exam."

Sakura was still angry. "What did you say?"

Kakashi ignored her and held out the forms to the trio. "Here are your forms. It's just a nomination. Whether to take the exam or not is up to you as individuals. Sign the form, and bring it to room 301 by four PM tomorrow." They all took their forms and looked at them. Their instructor gave a small wave and vanished after saying. "That's all."

Naruto blinked. "Hey. Cool. You guys are both coming right?"

Sasuke snorted. "As if I'd miss this."

Sakura's face fell. "I uh..." Her cheeks turned pink. "I'm not sure."

The hooded boy seemed surprised. "Huh? Why not? We've been taking B ranked missions for months now. How hard could it be?"

She didn't want to say it out loud. She was behind them both and she knew it, she had been having trouble keeping up with either of them. "Well...I guess you're right, but..."

Naruto grinned at her. "Hey. You can do this no problem. Besides, even if we all fail, we'll know what to expect the next time. It'll be good for us even if we don't make it."

Sasuke frowned at him. "If she doesn't want to..."

The hooded ninja snorted and returned his sour expression. "You're just a muscle head. You just want to fight that Gaara jerk. She's a better ninja than you, jerk. You're too interested in crushing things and making explosions to use your head, dolt."

Sasuke got a little wide eyed. "What? Better than me? Are you joking?" He balled up his fist. "You're just saying that to get her to show up!"

Naruto walked ahead of them. "No way. I mean it, she's got a better chance of passing than you do. You're just going to try and pound your way through it. I can tell already."

Sasuke fumed and rushed after him, only to have him vanish from in front of him. "Uzumaki! Get back here you coward! Wait till I see you again! I'll show that jerk which of us is an idiot!"

Sakura was smiling a little as she looked at the form in her hand. Sasuke wasn't stupid, she knew Naruto was just jerking his chain. Still, she did feel better. She gave a sigh.

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and growled as his cheeks burned. "Great. You'd better show up now, Sakura." He looked back at her.

The girl flushed. "Huh?"

"That jerk will just mope around if you don't. I don't want him to be able to say he was just distracted because you weren't there when I beat him." The boy walked away leaving her standing on the edge of the bridge.

She hung her head and gave a heavy sigh. "Right. There's no way I can't show up now. Oh well."

OooOOooOO

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all walked by a large crowd on the second floor. They turned their heads to see two Genin standing in front of the doors of one of the rooms, knocking a couple of people around and keeping everyone back.

"Idiots." Sasuke grumbled and continued on his way with his team right past the back of the crowd.

Sakura looked confused. "Some kind of Genjutsu? Maybe we should say something?"

Naruto shrugged and kept walking. "Why? If they can't figure out something like that..."

The kunoichi blinked in surprise and nodded. "I guess you're right."

One of the boys guarding the door appeared in front of her. "Hey. Where do you two think you're going? Aren't you going the wrong way?"

Sasuke looked around and frowned. Naruto was gone again. "That jerk."

The boy in front of Sakura frowned. He had spiky hair and a few bandages on his face. His partner wasn't having any trouble keeping the crowd away from the door on his own, and the attention of the crowd was turning on him and the Team Seven pair.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "What's it to you?"

The boy chuckled. "You're not going to turn in your form and take the exam like everyone else?"

Sasuke had his hands in his pockets. "Well, we weren't planning on ruining your fun. You can keep these idiots here all day if you want. We don't care."

The pink haired girl was gone when the spiky haired boy turned to look at her again. "Huh? When did...?" He glanced at where Sasuke had been and wasn't near as surprised to find the spot empty. His arm snapped back behind him, and he tossed Sasuke on the ground on his back. "Think you can sneak by me?"

The Uchiha boy was on his feet. "Well, if you're going to be like that. I've got no reason to play along then. Do I?" He turned to look back at the confused crowd and called out to them. "Hey. Don't tell me all of you really fell for this. This is the second floor. You're all supposed to be upstairs."

The spiky haired boy frowned at him. "You're a real idiot for ruining our fun without your friends to back you up!" He rushed forward, planted his hands on the ground, and hooked a kick at Sasuke.

A blur of green appeared between them as Sasuke returned the attack. The boy they'd noticed taking a beating when they'd walked by had stopped both attacks with his hands.

Sasuke almost thought it was Naruto for a moment and frowned when he realized he didn't recognize the boy. "Who the? Hey! I didn't need any help!"

A boy with white eyes and a coat walked up and frowned at him. "What happened to the plan? You're the one who said we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."

A girl with Chinese clothes and dark hair tied up in buns shook her head. "Oh no."

The boy who had stopped both the kicks of the battle was wearing a green leotard, and had his hands wrapped up. He had huge eyebrows, and short black hair. His cheeks were a little flushed as well.

Sakura blinked in surprise. She was around the nearby corner leaning against the wall waiting on Sasuke to catch up. "Huh?" The boy who had interrupted the fight walked up to her.

"Your name is Sakura. I am Rock Lee." He smiled, a sparkle shined in his teeth as he gave her a thumbs up and winked. "Let's go out together! I'll protect you until I die."

The girl flushed and looked disgusted. "No...way. You're lame."

Sasuke frowned. It would have gotten her out of his hair if she'd accepted. "Oh well."

The boy with white eyes approached him. "Hey. What's your name?"

"Who wants to know?" Uchiha crossed his arms and frowned. "If you want my name, you should give your own first."

The white eyed Genin ignored him. "So, you're a rookie right? How old are you?"

The raven haired nin frowned. "None of your business." He turned and walked away.

The girl in Chinese clothes flushed. "He's cute!"

The two boys who had been guarding the doors removed their jutsu. They both became much older and chuckled as they watched the scene through the cracked doors of the room they'd been guarding. "Well, I guess they pass this first unofficial test. Those are Kakashi and Gai's students eh?" The one who had stayed to guard the door seemed amused.

"Yeah. This exam will be fun for us examiners too." The one who had been a spiky haired boy chuckled.

In the hall the girl in Chinese clothes looked at the boy in the leotard. "Lee? What are you doing? Come on."

He looked over his shoulder at his teammates. "You guys go on ahead. There's something I'd like to test."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was leaning against the wall with his hands behind his head. "Hey. About time. What kept you?"

Sakura frowned at him. "As if you don't know. You're as bad as Kakashi sometimes."

Sasuke gave him a smirk and a glare at the same time.

"Hey! The boy with dark eyes!" Team Seven seemed surprised and looked up at the next floor above. Rock Lee was looking down at them over the railing. At Sasuke in particular. "Will you, fight me right here?"

Sasuke seemed a bit surprised. "A fight right now?"

Lee jumped over the rail and landed in front of them. "Yes. I am Rock Lee. When you want to learn a person's name, you introduce yourself first right?"

"Uchiha Sasuke. Why do you want to fight me?"

Rock took a ready stance. "I want to test my techniques against the offspring of the genius clan...plus..." He winked at Sakura.

"Eeew! Those lower eyelashes are...and the hair, and those huge eyebrows!" The girl was repulsed.

Naruto looked a bit disgusted himself, but refrained from commenting and just watched.

Lee blew her a kiss. "You're an angel!"

Sakura ducked hard and fast to dodge it. She belted her head on the floor pretty hard.

Naruto squatted down beside her. "You know. I admit that would have been gross, but..."

She turned her head to glare at him, still looking relieved. "What?"

He shook his head. "It would have been better to take it than split your skull open on the floor."

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. "That's a matter of opinion."

Naruto looked up at Lee and nodded. "Oh. I guess I can't argue against that. Even I think those eyebrows are a bit creepy."

Sakura jumped up and jabbed her finger at Lee. "Don't throw weird things! I barely got away with my life!"

Rock gave a small sigh. "You don't have to be so mean."

Naruto looked at Sakura. "I doubt you would have died. Gross I agree, but deadly?"

She crossed her arms and lifted her nose. "Social death is still death. I'd never be able to look another girl in the eyes again! No one but Sasuke is good enough for me."

The Uchiha boy gave a sigh. "I almost want to turn you down just to not impress her." He stepped forward anyway. "I guess it won't help even if I do. So, oh well."

Naruto frowned as he stood next to Sakura. "Hey. There's something weird about those warmers on his legs. Some sort of weapons?"

The girl looked at him in surprise. Her eyes turned up to the clock. "Sasuke! We've only got thirty minutes! Don't take too long!"

The boy smirked as he glared at his opponent. "I'll be done in five!" He rushed forward to attack.

Lee glared at him. "I may need to break Master Gai's rules and use that move!" He moved at high speed and lashed out in an attack.

Naruto's arms were crossed in front of his chest, but they loosened a bit. "Huh? He's fast!"

Sakura glanced at Naruto as he said it and frowned. She didn't want to speak up, and turned her eyes towards Sasuke's battle again.

Sasuke slid under the blow and wrapped his legs around Lee's shins. His head was knocked back a little as the boy's fist grazed his forehead. He pressed his attack and twisted to take him down as soon as he'd gotten his legs around the boy's shins.

Lee toppled, but caught himself with his hands and flipped tossing Sasuke up and away from him ten feet into the air. He jumped up towards him. "You can't defeat me! As of right now, I am Leaf's strongest Genin!"

The Uchiha boy crossed his arms in front of his face and grunted as Lee slammed his foot into his block. They both landed, Lee looked surprised, and Sasuke was confused. "What is this? Some sort of Genjutsu, or Ninjutsu? I almost missed blocking that!"

Naruto shook his head. "It's just Taijutsu." He frowned a little. "What the hell is he doing? Saying that out loud? The dope."

Lee flipped and spun at his attacker kicking with his leg as he landed in a flurry of spinning attacks. Sasuke managed to block most of it, and took a sock right across his jaw. He flew headfirst into the wall and groaned as he staggered out of the way just in time to miss being punched in the face. He rolled for a few feet on his side and jumped to his feet.

Lee had crushed the wall and turned to watch him with his fist still extended in the middle of a very large hole. "Yes. My attacks are neither Ninjutsu, or Genjutsu." He noticed his opponent's eyes had changed and smirked. "That Sharingan won't do you any good. It can see through all types of Gen, Nin, and Taijutsu. Genjutsu and Ninjutsu both use chakra and seals, so the Sharingan gives you an advantage! Taijutsu is a little different!" He kicked Sasuke in the jaw in a blur of motion, sending him into the air.

Naruto smirked as he noticed something about the fight. "Heh. So, using his head after all? What do you know?"

Sakura looked worried as her teammate sailed into the air. "Sasuke? Huh? What do you mean?" She managed to glance at Naruto for a split second as Lee jumped up to catch him.

Rock was looking confident that the fight was going his way. "Taijutsu is a little different! Even if you can see it, your body isn't fast enough to react! If your body can't move it's useless! Against my Ultimate Taijutsu, your Sharingan is in the worst possible match up! There are two types of strong people, hardworking, and genius! If your Sharingan is genius blood, then my Taijutsu is simply hard work! With this move, I'll prove, that hard work, surpasses genius!"

Naruto was astounded. "Wow. It's incredibly stupid to explain all that, but, I'm impressed he managed to say it all before they started falling back down."

Sasuke was caught in Lee's grip for a split second, but vanished from the boy's grip. Lee looked surprised and blinked as he fell, right on top of Sasuke's upraised fist. The Uchiha boy didn't look very impressed as he tossed Lee to the side on the ground.

The boy was curled up and holding his back in pain as Sasuke frowned down at him. "Yeah? What about a genius who works hard then?"

Lee looked shocked. "What? How did...?"

Naruto chuckled at the scene and shook his head. "Come on. That's enough for now. You two might be able to play in the exam later."

Sasuke looked down at his opponent. "You're strong and fast. I'll admit it. You're also an idiot. Now that you've explained all that, I'll be ready for it next time. I'm not going to explain what I did and give up my techniques to you. Figure it out for yourself. Even the strongest techniques will end up useless if you keep explaining them to everyone every time you use them." He turned towards the stairs.

He'd created a clone and made it jump into the air as Rock Lee kicked at him. The clone had taken a blow, but not a hard enough one to break the jutsu. Naruto was fast, and his techniques for sneaking were more similar to Taijutsu than Nin or Genjutsu. He was used to seeing it, and had done a lot of training with him and Sakura.

Naruto frowned as he looked at his companion. "You shouldn't have told him. How many times do I have to say it? Never give a sucker an even break, or smarten up a chump."

Sasuke frowned at him. "It's not like I told him what I did."

The Uzumaki boy leaned in to whisper at him. "Yeah, but if he never learns to shut his mouth. It might be useful in the future."

"Yes, that's right. Lee. You should have known better!" Both boys turned in surprise to find a tortoise looking up at them. It was very displeased and looked towards Lee.

Sasuke's eyes got a little wide. "What the..."

"...hell?" Naruto finished.

Sakura was glaring at it as well. "It's a tortoise."

Rock Lee looked like he'd just gotten caught doing something very wrong. "I uhh...you were watching that?"

The turtle sounded very cross as it lumbered towards him. "That's right. That technique, it's forbidden."

Naruto crossed his arms. "You know, I haven't had tortoise soup in a while. Maybe I should get some after the exam. Man, now I'm hungry."

Sasuke seemed annoyed with him and looked on. "I think that's his sensei. I didn't know a tortoise could become a ninja instructor. Weird."

Sakura seemed annoyed. "Yeah. Well, I bet he's on time. It's horrible, Kakashi sensei being outdone by a tortoise."

Lee was doing his best to explain himself to the animal, and was doing a poor job of it.

"Are you prepared for the penalty?" The tortoise frowned at him in a grave manner.

Lee hung his head. "Yes."

A man appeared on the back of the animal. He was in a rather stupid pose, with teeth just as sparkling as his student, and even thicker eyebrows. "Heh. You guys are the epitome of adolescence!"

Naruto seemed shocked. "Wow. Those are some incredible eyebrows!"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Super thick."

Sakura stuck her lip out and crossed her arms as she turned her head away. "Super faggy."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah. That pose was a bit fabulous wasn't it?" He waved his hand in a limp manner as he said it.

Sasuke nodded. "It's like he's not noticed disco died twenty years ago."

The man whipped around to glare at them. "Disco is not dead! It's forever!"

Lee glared at them all. "Stop making fun of Gai sensei!"

The man shook his head. "Lee."

His student looked over at him. "Huh? Oh, yes..."

The instructor punched him dead in the face and sent him sprawling across the ground. "You fool!"

The boy looked up in tears. Team Seven was a bit wide eyed. Gai fell to his knees before his student. "Lee, you don't have to say...anything!" The boy jumped into the man's warm embrace in sobs and they cried together. Somehow, magical sparkles appeared around them.

Sasuke and Sakura staggered back looking uncomfortable. "Some sort of weird genjutsu?" The boy managed to say through is disgust.

Naruto shook his head. "Wow...just...wow."

Gai slapped his student on the shoulders. "Yes, this is what youth is all about! It's all right, youth and mistakes go together!"

Lee still had tears in his eyes. "You're too nice, Sensei!"

Naruto hung his head. "Whatever. Look, come on. I've seen all I can take of thickbrow love."

"...you'll do five-hundred laps around the practice field!"

"Yes."

Sakura looked over at them as she started off with her team. "Idiots."

Gai turned to face them. "By the way. How is Kakashi?"

The trio stopped and looked over in surprise. Sakura looked over at the man. "You know Kakashi sensei?"

The man vanished from Lee's side, but blinked in surprise as he found himself next to an empty wall. "Huh?" The three Genin were grinning like idiots behind a shocked looking Lee on the other side of the room. At least, he thought so, one of them had a scarf over his face and it was hard to tell. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Heh. I see. We are called 'Eternal Rivals'! I've got fifty wins, to forty-nine losses."

Lee glanced back at the trio and smirked. "To be honest, I'm here to test my abilities. I lied earlier, the strongest Genin in Konoha i..."

Sakura interrupted. "...is on my team. You're going to have to figure out who it is on your own." She crossed her arms and gave him an evil looking smirk.

Sasuke nodded. "We don't care about our instructor's records. Team Seven is the strongest Genin team in Konoha. We look forward to testing our strength in the exam."

Lee's face became serious. "I hope to face you again, but I'm afraid I think you're wrong. I want to test my strength, and beat the one I speak of. I also want to fight you again. The next time will be different."

Naruto gave a serious nod. "Yeah. If you want to beat Sasuke, you're going to have to lose those weights you're wearing. You're not going to beat his speed wearing them." Maybe that would teach the idiot not to run his mouth.

Gai and Lee both looked shocked. "Wh..."

Lee frowned at the boy in the scarf. "You. I don't know you, but it's disgusting for someone to abandon their team!"

The hooded boy chuckled at his frown. "As if those two idiots could stop them? Don't be absurd."

Naruto and his team vanished, appearing at the top of the stairs and walking towards the classroom. Sasuke was giving his teammate a wide eyed stare. The blond nin nodded at him. "You're gonna have to train pretty hard to beat him. It won't be near that easy the next time. Time to live up to your own words, and be a genius who works hard."

Gai frowned. "So, that was Uzumaki. I begin to see that Kakashi might not be as foolish and lazy as I had thought."

"I'm going to beat him." Lee was giving the top of the stairs a hard glare. "Sasuke Uchiha will not stop me."

His sensei looked down at him and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Lee, if you truly wish to prove that hard work will defeat genius, then it is the other boy on that team you must defeat."

Rock got a bit wide eyed and blinked. "Huh?" He narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, Sensei. I shall defeat them both then." He started to stick out his thumb and smile, but Gai prevented it by holding his arm back.

"I believe you can do it, Lee, but that pose...not this time." He looked very serious.

Rock hung his head and clenched his fist. "I...see." He knew what his sensei was telling him. The task he had just given himself, was more difficult than he yet realized. He looked at where Team Seven had gone and frowned as he thought about it. "Who was that boy anyway? I've never seen him before." He looked up at where his sensei had been and found himself alone. He started to walk, but noticed something brush his shoe. He looked down and narrowed his eyes as he found the new tactics manual lying on the ground at his feet. "Huh? Gai sensei left this? I don't get it."

OooOOooOO

Kakashi was waiting for them in front of the classroom. "Well, I see the three of you made it. I'm glad."

Naruto nodded. "Of course we came."

Their instructor chuckled. "I had a feeling. I feel I should tell you, all three of you had to show up to take the exam. You couldn't take it unless the three of you showed up."

Sasuke and Sakura looked surprised. Naruto nodded. "I kind of figured."

The girl looked at him and hung her head a little. "So, that's why you said..."

He looked over his shoulder and she could tell he was smiling. "No. I meant every word." His eyes became a little darker as he glanced at Sasuke. "Including what I said about you, Uchiha."

His teammate and rival growled and clenched his fist. "We'll see. This exam has turned out to be more interesting than I'd thought." He got a dark looking grin on his face and looked at the doors to the classroom.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. It has." She couldn't help puffing her chest out.

Naruto turned towards the door and hung his head. "Come on then, lets get this over with then."

The trio walked through the doors together and into the beginning of their future. They had no idea what they were about to get into.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Um...duh.


	10. Chapter 10

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 10

The paper test.

OooOOooOO

There was quite a crowd in the exam room. Students from all over the five countries filled the room. Sakura and Sasuke stood side by side, Naruto had already vanished into the crowd ahead of them.

The pink haired kunoichi looked at Sasuke and frowned. "What do you think?"

Sasuke shrugged, "Not sure. There's more than I expected." Both Genin looked calm. Uchiha stepped aside just as a girl with blond hair grabbed at where he'd been and stumbled forward for a moment looking a little surprised.

She spun around on her heels and grinned at the boy. "Sasuke! It's been so long since I've seen you! I was so excited waiting for you!" It was Ino, and she narrowed her eyes at the pink haired kunoichi as their eyes met before turning her attention back towards Sasuke.

Sakura gave the blond girl a smirk, and Ino's face fell a little. "Hey. Is your hair shorter?"

She stuck her nose in the air. "A little. Just wanted something different."

"The way I heard it was some sort of accident involving a hairdryer." Shikamaru walked up with Choji at his side. "Hey. Uzumaki is here I'm guessing?"

Sakura arched her eyebrow and turned towards the boy. "Good luck finding him."

Ino had her teammate by his collar. "Shut the hell up about that!"

Nara frowned and shied away from her. "Whatever."

Ino turned towards Sakura and pulled down her eyelid while sticking out her tongue. "Sasuke is mine. Bleh."

Her rival didn't act like she noticed, despite it happening right in front of her face. She was scanning the crowd and had an odd grin on her face. "There's a lot of strong nin here. Should be fun."

The blond nin looked annoyed with her, crossed her arms and turned away. "What's with her?"

Sasuke nodded ignoring Ino with her. "Yeah."

Another group of three approached. A boy in a winter coat with a dog on his head, a boy in a long coat with a high collar and glasses, and a nervous looking girl with white eyes.

The boy with the dog spoke up. "Well, it seems like all nine of Konoha's first year Genin are here. I wonder how far we'll make it?"

Shikamaru looked a bit surprised. "Hey. You guys too?" He also looked a little annoyed.

Sasuke glanced over at him. Both of Team Seven's members were soft spoken and appeared calm and pretty relaxed. "You seem confident, Kiba."

The boy with the dog spoke up. "We won't lose to you."

Sakura shrugged and didn't look impressed. "We don't even know if we'll be competing."

The girl with white eyes was shaking a bit. She was looking about the room. "Um...Uzumaki is...here?"

The boy in glasses with his face hidden by his coat glanced down at her. "Don't worry. I don't see why he'd bother you, Hinata." She moved closer to his side and nodded as she swallowed and looked about.

"T-thanks, Shino." She was clutching at his sleeve a little and he didn't seem pleased, but he didn't appear to mind much either.

Sasuke looked at Kiba. "What's with her?"

The boy frowned at her and snorted. "She thinks Uzumaki drinks blood or something. I don't know. It's weird."

Sakura looked confused. "Drinks blood?"

The girl looked at her with a tense looking frown on her face. "I've seen him...killing animals. He eats them alive."

Sasuke and Sakura both got odd looks on their faces for a moment.

Kiba growled at her. "We'll kick his butt. Quit quivering would you? Right, Akamaru?"

The dog on his head gave a yip.

Choji was looking at the animal for the whole conversation. He looked hungrier than normal.

Shikamaru frowned at the frightened looking girl. "She's scared of Uzumaki?"

Kiba hung his head and sighed. "She thinks he's some sort of monster. I don't get it. He's a bit creepy sure, but I don't think he's some sort of vampire either."

Nara gave a small shrug. "Doesn't seem that way to me. He's good at strategy games. I'm still behind him by four games."

Sasuke looked into the crowd, he didn't respond. Something about Naruto bugged him in a way he couldn't explain.

Sakura was silent as well, but didn't appear to be paying much attention.

"You guys should be more quiet." A tall older boy walked up to the group of rookie Genin. "This isn't a picnic. You're squealing like school girls. You're all just rookies from the look of you." He had gray hair tied back into a ponytail, and a pair of glasses resting on his nose.

Ino frowned at him. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm Kabuto. You should be more worried about what's behind you."

Sakura was standing beside Sasuke near the wall. The rest of the Genin turned around and noticed a group of irate older nin glaring at them.

The older boy with the Leaf symbol on his forehead protector seemed amused. "They're from Hidden Rain, they've got short tempers. Everyone is nervous about the exam. You should quiet down before you cause a scene. I guess I can't blame you for being young. I used to be that way myself."

Sakura looked him up and down from her spot on the wall. "You've done this before then?"

Kabuto nodded. "Yup. This is my seventh time."

Neither one of Team Seven looked as impressed as the others. Ino chirped up with a bit of cheer in her tone. "So you know a lot about this?"

Sasuke gave a snort and kept his thoughts to himself. "Just means he failed six times." Sakura seemed to be of a similar mindset.

The older boy seemed pleased as he approached team Eight and Ten. "Heh. I'll share some of my info with these Nin info cards."

Sasuke and Sakura looked on as he showed them one of the cards. He activated one of them with his chakra and it showed a graph of how many Nin from each country was present.

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other and kept an eye on the scene. They frowned and said nothing.

Kabuto chuckled as Kiba asked if he could tell them about individuals with his cards. "Sure. Who do you want to know about?"

Sasuke walked up. "Gaara of the Sand, Rock Lee, and Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha." He had his hands in his pockets and glared down at the deck.

The gray haired nin smiled at him and nodded. "If you know their names, it should be easy." Kiba looked a bit annoyed, but was curious enough to not say anything.

Kabuto showed Lee first. "Rock Lee. He's got twelve D ranked, and twenty C ranked missions. His teammates are Hyuuga Neji and Ten Ten. He didn't take the exam last year, and this is his first time. He's a year older than you guys."

After getting impressed looks from everyone but Sasuke and Sakura, he laid down the next card. "Gaara. Hmm. I don't have much on him, he's returned from every mission without a scratch. He's got eight C ranked missions. Wow, a B ranked mission as a Genin."

Kabuto put down the final card. "Naruto...whoa." The boy's eyes went rather wide. "Not much about him at all." It was the only card he'd shown without a picture on it, and the stats diagram had a question mark. "Um...five D ranked missions, five B ranked, amazing, and...two A ranked missions as a Genin? That's unheard of. He wrote the Book of Five Rings, and Art of War. The Konoha tactics manual. His teammates are Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura."

Sakura and Sasuke both had smirks on their faces as the group of Genin from the village looked up at them with wide eyes.

Ino was looking at Sakura. "What? No way!"

Shikamaru rubbed at his chin. "Huh."

Kiba looked up at the pair and down at the cards again. "Are you kidding me?"

Kabuto looked over his shoulder. He'd just laid down the cards for Sakura and Sasuke, and seemed to just realize who was looking on over his shoulder. They were one A ranked mission less than Naruto, but their other mission stats were the same. Both of their cards had photos, and graphs that showed their abilities. He stood up and smiled at them. "Well. I'm impressed. Where's this Uzumaki?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. He's here somewhere, good luck finding him. I doubt either of us will see him before this part of the exam is over at least."

Kabuto seemed to think about it. "Some sort of invisibility justu or something?"

It was Sakura's turn to shrug. "How would we know? Not even Kakashi sensei can keep track of where he is. He just sort of shows up when he feels like being seen. That's not very often."

Hinata spoke up in a quivering voice. "He's got...strange powers. He eats the flesh of the living, and his uniform sucks up light. He's a living shadow with claws that can cut through anything. He doesn't sleep, and he's...got no soul."

Kabuto got a bit wide eyed. He frowned at her a little and shook his head. "Um, right."

Shikamaru got a smirk on his face. "He's really good at Shogi too."

Sakura and Sasuke turned away from the group together and moved into the crowd of desks. Uchiha leaned in. "That guy...something about him doesn't sit right with me."

Sakura gave a nod. "There's no way he collected all that information at the exams. Those stats are from our records. The photos too. I wonder why he couldn't get Naruto's picture if he got ours?"

"I stole it a while ago. I hate photos." Naruto was leaning against the desk behind them. Neither one of them acted as if they'd noticed him and looked ahead at the front of the classroom.

Sasuke frowned. "He's gotten our records somehow. What do you think?"

Sakura seemed annoyed. "That's illegal, only the Hokage and people who work in his office should even have access to that stuff. Kakashi might know, but he wouldn't tell. I don't like this. That guy gives me a bad vibe."

Naruto seemed to think about it, none of them were looking at each other as they spoke, and kept their voices down. "Well. He could be some sort of spy. I don't remember ever seeing him before. He's got a lot of information on the other villages too. A bit too much. I wouldn't mind having a look at his record myself."

Sakura nodded. "Maybe he's part of the test? One of the examiners?"

Sasuke seemed to agree. "That's possible. He could be some sort of plant for the exams. He talks a lot, and seemed to enjoy showing off what he knew. If he's a spy, he's pretty stupid."

Naruto grunted. "Well, either way we shouldn't trust him. He seems too friendly and gave out that information a little too easily. He's up to something, but it may not involve us. There's no way he gathered all that information just through the exams, even if he'd taken them ten times. Keep an eye out for him, and avoid him for now. We've got other things to worry about, and we can see about finding out more about him later. I've a feeling this will take all of our attention."

Sakura and Sasuke walked away from each other and Naruto. Uzumaki moved into the crowd and stayed out of sight. He saw Kabuto scanning around the room, he noticed he seemed to find anyone standing around Sakura and Sasuke very interesting. He'd kept out of the boy's line of sight by staying low within the crowd of Genin when his gaze moved towards him. Within a minute of abandoning his spot, he noticed Kabuto wandering by, looking about. The older boy looked serious, and focused.

"Heh. Well, I've gotten his attention it seems." Naruto narrowed his eyes and watched him from within a group of older Hidden Waterfall nin. They ignored him, he was quiet, and didn't seem interested in them.

Kabuto moved by where he was at. He turned his head away and reached back with his hand as the older boy moved by. As the older Genin moved off, Naruto smirked as he held up a deck of blank cards and glared at them. "Heh. Well, let's see how you do without these." He didn't know how to activate them, but it didn't matter. He didn't trust that guy one bit, and based on the fact they were chakra based, he didn't think holding them was a good idea.

He moved through the crowd and ended up next to Sasuke. "Hey, Uchiha, got a light?"

Sasuke smirked as he realized what Naruto was holding in front of his face. He put his fingers up to his lips and gave a gentle blow in the space between his fore and middle finger. A small flame formed, and the cards caught fire. Naruto moved off, dropping them into an empty metal trashcan as he vanished into the crowd again.

About thirty seconds later, all three of Team Seven looked on as the gray haired ponytailed nin walked up to the can. He looked down and frowned at the small fire burning inside. The cards were all destroyed beyond recovery. He clenched his fist, turned away, pushed his glasses up his nose, and smirked. "Interesting."

A cloud of smoke at the front of the room caught everyone's attention. From inside a gruff sounding voice boomed out over the class. "Quiet down you maggots!" A large crowd of instructors appeared in front of the desk. A large man in a black coat with scars over his face and a scarf over his head glared at the room in front of the group. "Thanks for waiting. I'm Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chunin Selection Exam's first test."

Most of the room looked quite nervous. He was a very intimidating man, and gave the room a hard glare that was meant to show he wasn't going to take any crap from any of them. He called out over them. "Nice to see there's been no trouble so far. I'll make it clear now anyway. There will be no fighting without the express consent of the examiners. Even if permission is given, no one is to kill anyone. If you do, you fail immediately." The examiners behind him started to move about the edge of the room. "Instead of your current seating arrangements, you'll be given a tab with a number on it. You'll sit where your assigned number indicates, then we'll hand out the exams."

Naruto frowned at the stack of papers one of the men behind Ibiki waved. "Great. A paper test. I hate paper tests." He wasn't that surprised, and hung his head a little.

OooOOooOO

Naruto took his seat and blinked as he heard a gasp from next to him. One of the girls he'd seen about the village was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Oh...Uzumaki...um...eep." She shied away as far as she could without leaving her seat.

"Hey." He seemed confused and shook his head. "What's with you?" She was a bit of a loner, and always seemed to be watching everyone else from behind cover. He'd noticed her looking at him before.

The girl swallowed as the veins around her eyes poked out. Her heart was racing, and the dead looking thing beside her turned it's eyes upon her. "I uh..." It was empty and soulless, a dark shadow before her.

The boy seemed to realize she was nervous. "It's just a paper test. Relax."

She hung her head and turned her eyes away from him. Her head moved up and down almost as a reflex as she shook with terror. "Why? Anyone but him!"

Naruto gave her a cheerful smile. She was one of Leaf's nin, and he didn't want her to fail. "Hey. You'll do all right. Just do your best."

The girl gave a nod. "Yes. I will...try..." She looked uncomfortable, but seemed to relax a little. It wasn't something she expected the soulless demon to say to her. She shivered, hoping it would be too distracted with the test to care about consuming her blood and flesh.

The instructors spread about the edges of the room. Ibiki started explaining the test to them. "There are a lot of rules, and no questions are allowed. So pay attention." He started writing on the board. "There are ten questions. Each question is worth one point. It's a subtraction system, so each question you miss will lose one point. This is a team test, so whether or not you pass is determined by the combined score of your teammates. The final and most important rule. Each person caught cheating will lose two points for each offense." He turned and gave them a cruel looking smirk. "Anyone who loses all their points, will fail, and their entire team will be asked to leave immediately. So, if one of you fails, through cheating, or by just missing all the questions, the whole team fails with them." He finished scrawling on the board. "We'll all be watching you. Any pathetic attempts at cheating will destroy you. As shinobi attempting to become Chunin, be proud Ninjas."

Naruto cocked his head. "Weird rules."

Hinata shuddered. "It doesn't make sense."

Naruto glared at the board and grinned. "Sure it does. They want us to cheat, but not to get caught. You've just got to read between the lines. The whole test is set up around that. This is an intelligence gathering exam. Heh. Clever."

The girl gasped and looked over at him in shock. "You'll fail!"

Ibiki glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes in the general direction of Naruto. "The test will last one hour! Begin!"

Uzumaki looked down at the questions. "Heh. Well, no point in taking risks if I can figure a few of these out on my own. There's no way Sakura will fail, and I've got a feeling Sasuke knows how to handle this."

Hinata was hunched over her page with her back and the back of her head turned towards him.

Naruto looked over his shoulder towards his teammates for a moment. Sasuke had his eyes on Sakura with his head down at his paper. He was using the same trick he'd used in Wave Country. His teammates were fine, and he was looking at the complex questions on the page in frustration a moment later. "Great. What a pain."

OooOOooOO

Several teams were thrown out of the room. Naruto was grumbling, he'd managed to answer a Cryptogram, and three questions involving tactics with little difficulty. They were taken from his book. He knew Sakura well enough to realize he didn't need to do more than that to get his team through. The tenth question wasn't on the page, and he had to wait until the end of the exam to find out what it was. Risking cheating to find out more answers and pad his score wasn't worth the effort. He could probably pull off having a few clones sneak about the room under the desks, but it seemed like a waste of energy at that point.

He put his pencil down, turned his test over, and leaned back with his arms behind his head. He looked up towards Sakura and found her looking over her page with an odd expression on her face. He frowned a bit, Ino was behind her and looked like she'd fallen asleep.

Ibiki walked up to him and frowned. "Is there a problem?"

He looked up at the man and shrugged. "Nah. I've done all I'm going to do until that last question comes up." His pencil was laid down, and his page was face down.

Hinata was shivering with her back to him, and curled up a little more over her page. Naruto frowned at her and snorted. "Man. What's with her anyway? Are you sick or something, Hyuuga? You look a bit pale."

She lifted her head and didn't look back at him. "I-I'm fine..."

The man walked away and gave the hooded nin a glare as he moved off to overlook the other students. After a moment, he went back to his desk and sat down to watch from there.

A few minutes passed, a few more teams were removed, and Ibiki stood up. "It's time, for the tenth question."

Naruto picked up his pencil and flipped his page back over to wait.

The man narrowed his eyes at the room. "Before we go over it, I'd like to go over the added rules for the final question." The room looked shocked, and the Kabuki boy Naruto had met in the village came out of the bathroom. Ibiki seemed amused. "Heh. Nice timing. Now, these are the rules of desperation. The tenth question, you must choose whether or not to take it."

Temari, the female Sand nin they'd met earlier spoke up. "Choose? What happens if we don't want to take it?"

Naruto was getting annoyed. "Jeez, get on with it already."

Ibiki was taking his time. "If you choose not to take it, your points will be reduced to zero, and you fail, along with your teammates."

A few other genin spoke up. "Of course we'll take it then!"

The man stood and spoke to the room with a steady calm. "If you choose to take it, and get the question wrong. You'll give up the right to take the Chunin selection exam ever again."

Naruto looked up at the man, thought about it, and chuckled. "Heh."

Kiba jumped up. "What kind of rule is that? There are guys here who have taken the exam before!"

The man leveled his calm gaze at the boy. "You guys are unfortunate, this year, it's my exam, my rules."

Uzumaki was enjoying this. He looked very relaxed as Ibiki continued.

"There is a way out. If you choose to not to take it, and leave right now. You'll be able to try again next year." Ibiki looked at the amused Naruto. "Something funny?"

He shook his head. "No. Please continue. This is great."

The man walked up to his desk and leaned over him, glaring him in the eye. "You don't look like you're taking this seriously."

Naruto blinked and looked him in the eye. "Well, I'd rather not ruin your fun. It's pretty entertaining so far."

The man leaned over him and flared his nostrils as he frowned at him. "Go ahead punk. Try."

The blond hooded nin nodded. "Well, if you insist. You don't have that much authority, not even as an examiner. Even if you did, I don't need your permission, or this stupid test to become a great Shinobi. There's nothing you can do short of killing me that will stop it. You're just dragging this out to scare us off." He didn't flinch in the face of the intimidating man's glare. "That's the point of this 'question'. Isn't it?"

Ibiki's eyes went wide and he stood up to call out over the crowd. "How many of you really trust the opinion of this punk rookie? If you want to leave, raise your hand now!" As he looked about the room he noticed both the boy's teammates had grins on their faces behind their folded hands. They were smart enough not to show it off and draw attention to themselves.

Five teams left the room.

Everyone else stayed in their seats.

Ibiki smirked and looked down at Naruto. "Well, to those who remain. Congratulations on passing the first test."

Most of the room looked shocked. Ibiki crossed his arms and looked down at the hooded nin. "You're quite clever to figure all this out. I noticed you had the premise of the test figured out before I'd even finished explaining the rules." He looked about the room. "Seventy-eight."

Temari stood up. "Wait? What?"

Ibiki looked over at her. "This was a test of your information gathering skills. Those that cheated poorly, failed of course." He removed the scarf from his head, revealing scars and burns as he glared at the wide eyed group. "Sometimes, information is worth more than your life. If you're discovered too soon, that information can be tainted and useless. The enemy might even let you go with false information to deceive you. If you're fortunate, you'll just be killed if you're caught." He tied his scarf back onto his head again. "Information can be a powerful weapon for you and your village."

The sand kunoichi still looked confused. "I don't understand the purpose of the tenth question."

Ibiki nodded. "It's to discover if you're strong enough. It's the true purpose of this exam. You must decide to do, or not to do something. Those who chose not to do it, along with their teammates failed. If you become Chunin, and you must steal a document that is guarded by unknown nin, traps, and dangers. Do you choose to accept it, or run away? If you choose to accept it, you and your comrades might be killed, or worse. Do you do it, or not? Can you avoid the dangers of the mission? The answer is, no. There are missions you cannot avoid no matter what the danger. If you are to become a Chunin captain, you must understand this." He frowned at the group. "The pieces of trash who can only make cowardly decisions, don't have the right to become Chunin." He gave them a smile again. "Those who chose to remain, I wish you luck. You have the ability to make the right decision, and survive the troubles of the future." He glanced to the side.

A ball of black cloth crashed through the window. Ibiki looked annoyed and rolled his eyes. A woman with dark hair done up into spikes behind her head landed on the ground behind a sign that was held up with two kunai. She was wearing a coat, a fishnet top, and a pair of shorts. "This is no time for celebrations! I am the examiner for the second test. Anko Mitarashi! Let's go! Follow me!"

Ibiki peered around the cloth. "Bad timing." The woman flushed and growled at him.

Naruto was annoyed. "What's with this loud chick?"

Hinata very much wanted to be away from him again.

Anko was glaring at Ibiki. "Hey! Twenty-six teams? The exam was too easy! I'll at least cut them in half!" She turned towards the students. "I'll explain everything, once we've gotten to the second exam area!"

Everyone stood up and started to move towards the doors.

OooOOooOO

The room had cleared and Ibiki started walking around to collect the tests. He looked down at the hooded nin's test. "So, that was Uzumaki?" He'd answered four questions, three that related to his own book, and a cryptogram. "Interesting kid. He had me figured out almost right away." He kind of regretted picking him to make an example of. He'd have gotten rid of a lot more students if he'd not pretty much forced the kid to explain it all. He'd given the exam twice before, and what he'd done had scared off the kid he'd singled out every time before. Usually driving another ten teams out the door with them.

Naruto had been cool and collected. He'd picked him because he was a rookie Genin with what seemed like an arrogant attitude. They were usually among the first to leave the room. Because he'd picked him, every one of the rookie teams had stayed. He'd not seen Naruto since he was a young loud boy in the village years ago. Back then, he was hard to miss. He didn't recognize him at all, and figured he was just some punk Genin with an arrogant attitude showing a tough face to hide his nerves.

He carried himself like he was that sort of person. It was why he'd singled him out in the first place. What got his attention, wasn't that he'd explained everything he'd planned. It was the fact that he'd looked him right in the eye, and not looked away once. No Genin had ever done that before. Not even most Chunin or Jounin could do that when he stared them down that way.

He'd only seen it a total of four times in his career. Every one of them had died before giving up any information. He frowned and started collecting the other tests, they would be thrown away. They'd served their purpose.

His part in the test was over. Still, he couldn't help but wonder just how far the kid would make it.

OooOOooOO

The large group of Genin stood in front of the gates of a large forest. Anko stood in front of a booth near one of the gates and spoke out over the crowd. "Welcome to Practice Arena forty-four. Also known as the Forest of Death."

Naruto was standing between Sasuke and Sakura looking up at the forest. "Lots of room, lots of cover. We should do well."

Sakura smirked and nodded. "Right."

Sasuke didn't respond, but gave a small chuckle.

Anko narrowed her eyes and tossed a Kunai. Naruto blinked in surprise as it passed by his face, cutting a small gash on his cheek and putting a small hole in his scarf. The instructor was behind him and leaned over him, licking the blood on his cheek away through the hole that had been sliced in his scarf. "Heh. You're confident for a kid. Rookies like you are usually the first to die."

The boy cocked his head. "Wow. That was both awesome and disgusting at the same time." He rubbed at his cheek as she pulled away.

Anko blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

Sasuke held out the woman's kunai to her handle first. He'd caught it after it passed by his teammate's head. "Are you kidding?"

Naruto looked at his two disgusted looking teammates. "Nope. It made me feel kind of funny. Kind of like when we used to have to climb the rope in Taijutsu training."

Anko took her weapon back and frowned at the trio. "You won't be so confident once I've explained this." She moved up to the front of the crowd, hiding a slight blush. He'd not taken that the way she'd been expecting. She waved a stack of papers. "You'll all have to sign these wavers. So I won't be held responsible if you die." She turned about and grinned at them. "There will be deaths. I'll explain the test, and you can sign it after." She turned and pointed at the booth. "This is the ultimate survival test. The arena has forty-four locked gates, around a river, a forest, and a tower at the center."

The woman held a scroll that showed a map of the area. Shikamaru was standing nearby. "Survival? This test sucks."

Anko chuckled and held out two scrolls. "It's a no rules scroll battle. You'll each get one of these scrolls, Heaven, or Earth. Your task is to collect both, and bring both of them to the tower at the center. You've got a hundred and twenty hours, exactly five days. There are thirteen of each scroll, so only half of you have even a chance of passing. Heh. I'll tell you know, that's incredibly unlikely." The woman seemed to enjoy the looks she was getting. "The forest is crawling with enemies, poisonous insects, and plants, predators, and other dangers. You won't get much sleep, you're on your own for food, and there are other ways to lose as well. First, if you don't make it within the time limit, second if you lose a teammate or one of you is killed, and last...you're not to open the scrolls until you reach the tower. Those are the rules. Exchange your three forms for the scrolls, and choose a gate to get ready for the start. You'll be in the forest for five days, there's no leaving early." She put her hands in her pockets and grinned at the Genin. "That's it for explanations. Get moving."

Naruto gave a heavy sigh as he stood back and watched the other teams enter the booth. He wasn't in a hurry, and Sasuke and Sakura were getting in line.

"Hey, kid." Naruto blinked and went a little rigid.

He hung his head as he realized he could hear Ryu nearby. "What is it? I'm kind of busy."

Ken chuckled. "Yeah. We know. You know those scrolls?"

The boy frowned. "Aw man."

"Yup. We want you to collect all of em, every one. Heh." Ryu was sounding pleased.

Naruto crossed his arms and looked annoyed. "Yeah. I got it."

"Get going then." Ken was pleased with their idea.

The hooded nin jogged over to the line. "Great. Those assholes. This is bad enough as it is." With a small sigh he cheered up a bit. It might be fun anyway. It wouldn't have been very hard to just get one to match the one they'd get in his opinion. "Oh well. Should be interesting if nothing else." He had plenty of cover, and didn't think it would be a problem. He looked over his shoulder as he stopped at the back of the slow moving line. "Well, I've got plans for a couple of em anyway."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Naruto screws up.


	11. Chapter 11

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 11

Naruto screws up

OooOOooOO

"What's with all the clones?" Sasuke looked at his teammate. They were inside the forest of death, and Naruto had just made about a hundred of them. They all moved off in different directions with grins on their faces.

The trio was standing around the tree tops, looking down on the forest surrounding them. Sakura and Sasuke had each made one as well. Their clones had all jumped down to the forest floor with one of Naruto's.

Sakura nodded in agreement and seemed to relax on her branch. "Yeah. The last time I remember seeing you make that many was when we were potato digging."

The hooded nin shrugged. "I'm stealing the scrolls."

Sasuke frowned. "Huh? Isn't that a bit much to find one of those heaven scrolls?"

His teammate looked surprised. "Nah, all of em."

Both his teammates looked a bit wide eyed. "Huh?"

Naruto chuckled. "What? Why not?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "So, what's the plan then?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "I guess we start heading for that tower. It's probably where everyone else will go."

OooOOooOO

A trio of nin looked around at the woods that surrounded them. "What's our plan?" They were all wearing breathing masks, and black leotards. One with black hair, a blond with spiky hair, and another one that had a shaved head.

The bald one shrugged. "Well, there's three rookie teams." He was sitting against one of the tree roots. The woods were huge, and most of the plants were gigantic. "We've got an Earth Scroll now. We need to find a heaven scroll." He slapped the bag on his hip.

The spiky haired blond nodded. "Right. Should be easy. We need to move fast, those rookies probably won't have their scrolls for long." None of them noticed the hand from the bushes on the other side of the tree root slip into the bag, and pull the scroll out before vanishing into the bushes.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting comfortably on a tree branch high above the forest floor. Their three clones hadn't run into any trouble yet.

Sakura frowned at Naruto. "Well, we've got four heaven scrolls, and six earth scrolls so far."

The blond nin nodded. "Yup. Each of us has a copy of both now."

Sasuke chuckled. "Our clones on the ground should have enough supplies gathered. We'll be all right for the night it seems."

The kunoichi nodded. "Yeah. There isn't much daylight left. Are we going to try and sleep up here?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah. I've broken all of my jutsu but one for the night." He looked a bit worn out.

Sasuke looked up at the sky. "Yeah. Sixteen scrolls are still out there, and we've not covered much ground."

Sakura looked towards the ground. "Do we need all of them? Maybe we shouldn't be so greedy?"

Naruto knew there was wisdom in that statement. He didn't have much choice, and didn't see any reason to enlighten them. "Yeah. Well, I sort of agree. We'll keep moving towards the tower. We'll go in and finish this when we get there no matter what, if we've get them all or not."

Sasuke frowned and turned his eyes towards the hooded nin. It was unusual for him to sit in plain sight for that long with them. "We should hurry then."

The kunoichi shook her head. "No. We should still move carefully, even if it takes more time. The closer we get to that tower, the more traps there will be."

Naruto gave a nod. "She's right. Besides, I've had it pretty easy so far. Most of the nin I've taken these from were sitting around and planning out their strategies, or gathering supplies. They'll be on the move tomorrow. Trying to recover what they've lost, or get the scroll they're missing. I doubt many of the others here have both yet. We've got an advantage right now." He looked at his fist. "We shouldn't waste it."

Sasuke frowned, but nodded. "Still, the longer we're out here, the more dangerous it becomes."

Naruto started down towards the ground. "We should head for ground. We need to eat, and I've got to rest up. I'm pretty tired, I've had clones running around for most of the day. We'll take turns keeping watch while the others rest. I doubt we'll get much sleep though."

Both his teammates followed after him.

OooOOooOO

Once on the ground, they found their supplies waiting for them. They had broken their jutsu after hiding a store away. All three of them knew where to go, and it was well hidden in the brush.

Naruto didn't say anything, but he actually already had fourteen of the scrolls. Two sets of them were hidden in spots in the woods. He'd not directly confronted anyone, but followed several teams around. Waiting for them to reveal which one had the scroll and where it was. Several teams had passed it around, others kept it in bags carried around by one member or another, and a few had them stuck into their uniforms.

It hadn't been easy, but not too difficult. The largest distraction he'd needed to make thus far was a few small noises, such as tossing a rock, or breaking a stick nearby. He'd lost a few clones to tossed Kunai, but hadn't been spotted yet. Once he had their attention, they usually formed a defensive circle, keeping eyes on every direction. It had been pretty easy to lure them into revealing who had the scroll. The carrier tended to hang back, while the others investigated. They also had a tendency to hand it off to the team leader, the strongest one who gave the orders. Making them suspicious enough to get someone to give hand signals and orders wasn't hard.

The scroll carrier always tried to find cover when they got too spooked, and that was when he struck and slipped in to pickpocket them.

Two of them had been taken from teams distracted from fights with other teams.

He didn't think he'd need to change tactics, and didn't mind if he missed one or two sets much.

Sakura sat in front of a small fire looking at Naruto. "You're just a clone aren't you?"

He blinked and looked over at her. "Yeah. So?"

Sasuke turned one of the fish they were roasting. "He'll be fine. He took some meat off on his own. It's better this way. We're more secure if one of us isn't really here."

Naruto nodded. "That way, if something happens, I can slip in and get us out of it. Don't worry."

The girl nodded. "Yeah. I get it. It's not dark yet. Are you sure we should be making a fire now?"

The raven haired nin nodded. "We're better off without one once it gets dark. It will be easier to see once there's no other light."

They all ate, and sat about while the fire died down. They didn't do anything to rekindle it, and the sun was shining through the trees. The wood was gray, with beams of orange light passing through the trunks.

The group moved away from their cooking site to a more concealed area nearby. There were bushes surrounding them, a large tree with roots that would give them cover on three sides, and about fifteen feet of clearing ahead of them. They all sat between two of the larger roots and relaxed as they lounged around it.

"Listen, I'll hold the scroll." Sasuke looked at his companions.

Naruto nodded and handed the heaven scroll over to him. "Right, I guess I've got the first watch then? That way, we won't lose it if someone surprises us."

Sakura hugged her knees. "We should wait until it's a bit darker before we try and get any sleep. We'll need a password, in case the one who's on watch gets ambushed."

Naruto nodded. "Right. Something simple to remember."

Sasuke shrugged. "What then?"

Naruto gave a grin. "Line eighteen."

The group gave a collective nod.

Naruto stood up. "I'm gonna take a leak." He walked towards the bushes.

A few moments later, Naruto walked back out of the woods.

Sasuke jumped to his feet and Sakura glared at him from behind him. "What's the password?"

Naruto smirked. "Line eighteen."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and tossed a kunai at his teammate. Sakura turned into a blur of motion, and tossed two more over his head at the hooded nin. Naruto dodged, shifting to the side looking surprised and annoyed.

The pink haired kunoichi seemed to vanish. Sasuke growled. "Wrong answer."

Naruto was crouched low and growled. "Huh? I get it, some sort of code."

The raven haired nin grinned. "Right. All three of us know the right phrase. We knew you were listening in underground the whole time."

The hooded nin stood up and seemed to grow about three feet as he did. He had long dark hair, a sugegasa hat, and white robes. He had a very long tongue and grinned at the pair. "Clever. You guys want my earth scroll?" He swallowed it whole, wrapping his tongue around it as he did so. "Heh. We'll fight to the death for it!"

Sasuke froze. His eyes went wide as he saw a kunai land in his forehead. "Genjutsu!" He knew right away that it was an illusion. Squeezing his eyes shut, he felt a sharp pain in his leg and rolled away. "Heh. You'll have to do better!" He pulled the kunai out of his leg, and tossed it and two more at the stranger.

The tall figure shifted away looking amused. "Well, impressive. You knew physical pain would break that jutsu. You're quite clever."

Sasuke frowned as he glared at the tall figure. Sakura had stabbed him in the leg from cover. She was out of sight.

As if in answer to that, the girl jumped from the bushes. A huge serpent with a wide open mouth followed after her. A rain of shuriken flew from her hands into the beast's mouth, sending it to the ground dead. She landed and frowned as she looked at the tall and dangerous enemy. "Who the hell is this guy?"

The tall figure wasn't standing where he had been before, but rather rose up from under the skin of the dead snake. Sasuke growled and Sakura took up a position beside him. The enemy nin grinned at them. "You guys shouldn't be so relaxed. Prey should always run away in the presence of a predator."

Sasuke chuckled. "A predator he says?"

The tall figure got a bit wide eyed and jumped aside. A black blur with a sword in his hand cut the space he'd once occupied in two. The serpent like enemy growled as he noticed the hooded nin look at him as he jumped away into the bushes. "What the hell? So, you escaped my..." He got another surprised look on his face as a huge shadow loomed over him. The body of a giant snake seemed to fall on top of him like a giant tree. The head of the creature was gone, cut clean off.

Sasuke pumped his arm. "Did we get him?"

A voice from behind him seemed to freeze him in place. "Afraid not!"

The tall enemy nin grabbed at his shoulders, only to have him vanish from in front of him. "What?" He rolled aside as three kunai almost impaled him in the back. He growled as a cut appeared on his cheek.

Sasuke was crouched on a low branch. "You must think we're stupid."

The serpent man chuckled. "I see. You spotted me escaping with the Sharingan. I must say, you're better with those eyes than I expected."

Sakura burst up from the ground behind him. The man looked surprised as coils of wire wrapped around his entire body and neck. The kunoichi landed behind him, and pulled her arms apart in a quick jerking motion. "Asshole!"

The wire cut through an empty skin and she gasped. The girl felt a blow to her side and Sasuke tossed two kunai as he pushed her out of harm's way. The tall figure had appeared behind her and ducked backwards. He growled as he kicked the raven haired boy away and stood upright, dodging the weapons and attacking in the same motion.

Sakura was on the ground beside him, and Sasuke landed on his back five feet away. The enemy nin growled as he looked over his shoulder at the gash cut into the ground just under where his neck had been. The black blur that had caused it was already gone again. "Sneaky little..."

The Uchiha boy jumped to his feet throwing three weapons forward. The enemy nin dodged all three, but froze as he realized there were strings tied to all of them. "What?!" His head turned and grabbed one of the larger shuriken from the air with his teeth after it changed course in mid air and returned like a yo-yo behind him. "Heh. You're impressive...I'll..."

Sasuke grinned as he gripped the string tied to that weapon with his teeth. "Bah. Dragon's fire!" The string lit up, and a moment later the enemy nin's face was on fire. The enemy stood there after grunting in pain. "Heh. You're able to use those eyes this well at such an age? You really are brothers. I sense a power in those eyes to surpass Itachi."

The Uchiha boy growled as his stare intensified.

Sakura rushed the enemy from the side as she appeared out of the bushes in his blind spot. A simple swipe from the enemy's arm sent her onto her back and her kunai clattering across the dirt. She sat up and frowned, he'd not even looked at her.

Sasuke stepped forward. "Who the hell are you anyway?" His eyes went wide as he realized he couldn't move. Sakura was in the same position and was stuck on the ground sitting halfway upright. "No. I can't move, and she's..."

"My name is Orochimaru. If you ever want to see me again, survive this exam. You'll have to defeat my three sound ninja on their way here as well!"

Sakura growled as the mysterious enemy started making hand signs for a jutsu. "What? We never want to see your face again!"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Who was talking to you, brat!?" His neck extended and his mouth opened revealing fangs as it shot towards Sasuke.

The Uchiha boy looked on in horror. He felt a strong blow to his side and looked up after he hit the ground as the jutsu broke. "What?"

Naruto was looking rather shocked. "Gah! What the hell? Gross!" The enemy nin had bitten him on his shoulder and caught him by surprise.

Orichimaru's head reeled itself back in. "No! What have you done!? You little brat! I'll kill you!" He couldn't perform that jutsu again for a while, and he'd missed his intended target. The tall nin rushed up as Naruto fell to his knees and clutched at his wound in disgusted pain.

Sasuke looked horrified as the angry nin glared at Naruto with irises like slits. His face was enraged, and he'd pulled a sword out of his mouth as he'd rushed forward. Naruto's sword clattered across the dust as the enemy knocked it from his grip, and pinned him to the ground through his chest.

Naruto yelled in agony. Blood shot from his mouth as he looked up at the enemy in a rage and gripped at the blade. "Bastard!" His eyes had changed, a strange red glow formed around his body. He turned his head and looked at Sasuke. "Get the hell out of here! Now! I can't hold it..."

The Uchiha boy growled as he jumped to his feet and tossed two kunai at Orochimaru. The snake like man hopped back, pulling his sword out of Naruto with a confused look on his face. "What the hell? Oh shit!" He turned and rushed away.

Sasuke blinked and looked down at Naruto. The glow around his body was growing stronger, but seemed to be sucking up what little light there was left from the air around him. "Huh?"

Sakura appeared at his side, looking at their fallen comrade in horror. "Run!" She grabbed Sasuke and dragged him into the wood away from the scene by force.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "No! That idiot! Why did he?" He started to turn back, but a ripping boom filled the air. He felt his feet leave the ground, and landed on top of Sakura as a shock wave tossed them both ten feet into the woods. Branches and debris pelted the both of them.

They both remained still for a long moment. Sasuke opened his eyes first and sat up. His eyes were wide with horror at the mess before him. The ground was covered in debris and rubble. "What the hell was that?"

Sakura was pushing herself up. "Naruto? Naruto!"

They both staggered towards the scene, only to find the ground covered in broken branches, small stones, and dirt.

Sasuke looked shocked and confused. "What the hell was that?"

The girl started staggering into the mess. "Come on! Maybe we can find him?" She had tears in her eyes as she fumbled across the debris.

"Damn him. Why the hell did he...? I'll kill him if he's alive! That asshole!" Sasuke followed after her, his legs were still a bit weak, and he was having as much trouble navigating the mess as she was.

OooOOooOO

Naruto groaned in pain. He wasn't sure what happened. It was just dark, and he was sitting in a familiar place. "What? I'm asleep?" The gates within him stood before him.

A cruel sounding chuckle echoed through the bars. "No kid. You're about dead. You've picked up a nasty curse too. You don't have much chance of surviving it, the wound is bad, but the curse... Well, put the two together, and you're as good as dead. Heh."

The boy jumped to his feet. "No! Sakura! Sasuke!"

Naruto turned to the gates. The voice spoke again, he'd heard it before, muttering curses, asking for meals, but never directed at him in conversation. "There's nothing you can do for em. They should be fine. That guy ran off after he...heh." The Demon Fox had never spoken more than the name of an animal it desired for a meal to him before. He'd been here in his dreams and meditations before, and he'd tried speaking to it. It had pretty much ignored him.

The boy sat down and looked at his knees. He was shaking, and starting to feel very cold. "No. I remember...a dark light...and then...it hurt..." His chest was growing tight, and he could see blood dripping down his arms.

The demon beyond the gate chuckled again. "Yup. You're messed up pretty bad."

Naruto yelled as he saw his chest had a large stab wound in it. His breath was labored and he gasped in horror as he struggled to breath. He was still managing, but it was growing more and more difficult.

The beast seemed amused. "Fun stuff, huh?"

Uzumaki had tears in his eyes. "I'm...I'm gonna die?"

He looked up, the sensations of his death faded. The beast was looking at him through the gate, all he could see was it's eyes. "Yeah. It's been fun. Not even I can heal all that...well...sort of."

The boy was clutching at his chest. He was very pale and shaking. "What?"

The creature was amused with him an his position. "Tell you what, you've been good to me. You talk to me, annoying as it's been. You get me what I want to eat. I've been picking difficult game on purpose, but you always come through. Good job on that deer liver last time. Really hit the spot." He sniffed at the air, Naruto felt what seemed like a hot breeze moving in and out of the bars. "I'll make you a deal. All you've got to do is come inside, and hear me out."

Uzumaki staggered back away from the gate.

It moved closer to the bars. "Come on kid. You're already almost dead. What's the worst that can happen?"

Naruto froze, he looked down at his blood covered hands. The sensation of death was washing over him again. He felt cold and numb.

The creature moved forward and he could see it's face, it's dark eyes glaring at him. "I've had it pretty good considering. Sucks to be in here, I hate it, but you've not been too bad. My kind of guy really, all those pranks have been fun. You could say I'm mischievous by my very nature. Heh."

The nin frowned. "You're not interested in friends."

"No, but it's good for me if you don't die. I can help you, but it's gonna cost you. It'll even get rid of that nasty curse you've picked up. Jerk, toying with what's mine." It was lounging behind the bars, staring at him. "Come on in. Hurry up, you've not got much time. You won't die as fast inside the seal. It'll keep you here a bit longer."

The boy swallowed hard. He staggered forward through the bars, and fell to his knees. Blood splattered through his lips.

He looked up and saw a giant scroll, not unlike the one he'd learned his Shadow Clone technique from. The paper was black, and the lettering red. "Here's the deal. We're gonna make a contract. A deal."

He frowned at the creature. "What sort of contract?"

"You sign this, and I'm gonna give you a gift. It's a gift you've got to protect, at all costs. I'll be able to help you out, but it's gonna cost you." The creature narrowed it's eyes and it's irises narrowed to thin slits. It sniffed at him, almost knocking him over.

"Cost me what?" He was struggling to stay upright. He could feel himself growing weaker.

"You'll be mine. You'll never be able to get married, or form a contract with anyone or anything else." The beast pushed him upright with it's nose and he fell on his back. It sniffed at his crotch and rear not caring that it made him uncomfortable. "You must devote your life to caring for what I will give you. It's not so bad, don't worry. There's perks involved later, but we'll discuss it later on. I won't be around for a while if you agree."

Naruto pushed himself back onto his rear and backed away a little. "Protect?"

The creature nodded. "Yeah. You've got to keep it safe, even if it cost your life, even if you lose all your friends, even if it means turning against or abandoning your village forever. You've got to keep it safe. This gift, will be everything to you. It's your life now, if you fail, you die, and everything you care about with you. I won't spare the life of an insect in that pathetic hole you call a village."

He was leaning on his palm and looking at the scroll as it unrolled itself in front of him. "I'll be alone? I'll never have a girlfriend?"

"Heh. How are you going to do that anyway if you're dead? You're not really going to have it anyway if you don't, so you're not losing anything really. You're a smart kid, you can handle this. You've been good to me, and no one else is good enough to handle the job. I'm fortunate that I've been stuck inside you. You'll understand, once you figure it all out." The creature put it's paw on the scroll. The print seemed to burn into place. "All I need, is your hand print."

The boy looked down at the scroll. "I'll do it, on one condition."

The creature narrowed it's eyes and growled a little. "What's that?"

"If I keep my end of this deal, you can't ever hurt Konoha. You can't hurt my friends, none of them! You can't destroy the village for the rest of your life! Not ever again!" He was clutching at his chest and looking weak.

The beast spoke up right away. "Deal." Naruto looked at the scroll and the letters shifted, reflecting the change. "Your print. I guess I can warn you now, it's gonna really hurt."

Naruto put his bloody hand on the scroll. It felt like the paper was on fire. He screamed in pain as the flesh of his hand sizzled against the page.

The Demon swiped at him with it's paw. "You're mine now! In three years, I'll return, and you'd better be ready to greet me properly! You're to wear my mark from now on!"

Naruto felt his face explode in pain. The gates behind him swung open, and he felt himself being sucked out into a bright light.

The creature's voice was fading as it spoke. "Take care of my gift boy, or I'll destroy, you, your village, and everyone you care about! You'd better be ready when I get back! Don't you dare betray me!" He saw it glaring at him from the darkness, it's eyes growing smaller and more distant. "Don't even think about signing anymore contracts like this. You're mine now, for the rest of your life! Bwahahahahahahaahaa! See you in three years kid!"

Naruto felt the vision fading and it was like passing out. "Huh? Three...years?"

OooOOooOO

In a pile of rubble and broken timber, in the center of what was left of a large section of the Forest of Death. A hand sticking up from under the rubble twitched a finger. A moment later, it balled up into a fist and the area around it exploded outward. Naruto sat up gasping for breath. He clutched at his chest and the burning sensation that wracked his body in agony faded away.

It took a moment to realize that he was wet. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but it was raining. He looked up in confusion at the shower that fell from the starry black sky above.

His eyes were wide as he sat up and looked around at the mess surrounding him. A fifteen meter area of destruction surrounded him. He felt awful and put his hands behind him. He fumbled for a moment, realize there was something there that didn't feel like wood or a rock. Turning his head, he saw a familiar black scroll behind him. "What the? What?" His eyes were wide with horror. "What did I do?"

He started to stand, but a sharp yip made him freeze in place. "Huh?" His eyes turned down to his lap. He went very pale, and his jaw dropped. A tiny creature was looking up at him, it's tongue hanging from it's mouth. It was a very young fox kit, with nine tiny tails. "Oh shit."

He picked it up, putting his hands under it's front paws to lift it up to his face. "What? Kyubi?"

The kit licked at his face, and he found it stung. He pulled the animal away at arm's length, set it down on his lap, and touched the left side of his face. It hurt to touch it and he cringed. "What happened to you?" He looked at the tiny creature and it yipped at him again. All if it's tails were waving behind it. He cradled it in his arm and frowned. "I guess you must be my...'gift'. I'm supposed to take care of you then?" He was confused and disoriented, but alive. Staggering to his feet, he turned to climb out of the pile of broken sticks and rocks that surrounded him.

"Naruto!"

"Huh?" He looked over his shoulder in a daze.

He turned and found a pair of arms wrapped around his neck. Someone's cheek was pressed against his. It was wet, and warm.

He staggered back onto his rear and blinked. "Oh, Sakura? Hi. You're all right? Where's Sasuke?"

She held him at arms length. "What happened?"

"Hey. You're alive!" Sasuke scrambled over the mess.

The blond boy nodded, looking very tired. "Yeah. What happened? Where did that guy go? Are you all right?"

Both of them looked surprised. Sasuke spoke up. "I dunno. After that explosion, he was gone." The boy looked angry with him. "What the hell were you thinking?"

The dazed Genin nodded. "Huh. Weird. Who the heck was that Orochimaru jerk anyway?"

The kunoichi was giving him an odd look. "I dunno. He attacked Sasuke, but you showed up and...." She looked at his shoulder. "Hey. That bite is gone...but...what happened to your face?"

Naruto seemed to be getting his head about him again. "Yeah. Weird. That ugly thing that came out of his neck bit me." He looked at his shoulder and rubbed it. "What about my face anyway? It stings." The creature in his arms yipped and put it's paws on his chest.

Sakura seemed to notice he was holding something. "What is that thing?"

Sasuke looked curious and disgusted. "Some sort of animal?"

The dazed nin was getting his senses back. "I gotta protect him. I made a promise, it's hard to explain. Look, it's been really weird since that explosion."

The Uchiha boy went very pale. "That's a...fox...wait...tails? What have you done Uzumaki?" He looked at Naruto with wide eyes and had his jaw hanging.

Sakura was looking just as dazed. "It's so cute! You saved him?"

Naruto frowned. "Um, sort of. I guess. I uh..." He was cradling the creature, and it nuzzled into his arm.

Sasuke pulled Sakura back by her shoulder. "No. Look!" He pointed at the animal.

The girl was confused, but seemed to notice what he was pointing at. "Hey...that's..." The cute baby fox kit, had nine tails. "Wow! Where did you find that?" She was a little horrified.

Naruto hung his head. "Um, find it?"

Sasuke was holding the girl back by her shoulders away from him. "After that thing bit you, it stabbed you through the chest with a sword. You changed, your chakra...it was so..."

Sakura shoved his hand off her shoulder. "You told us to run, and there was all this dark red glowing chakra around you. It felt horrible, bad...evil."

Uchiha was frowning. "I've never seen anything like it. We barely got away in time to avoid the explosion."

Naruto gave a nod. "I...see." He was on his feet and looked very serious. His shirt and hood were gone, and his tattered scarf was hanging around his neck. There were still a few strips of cloth hanging over his shoulders and about his waist. He looked at the ball of orange fuzz in his arms and frowned. "Now what?"

Sakura was at his side. "Are you all right? You've got an injury on your face. It's not bleeding though."

The blond nin gave a nod. "I feel...fine. It was awful when I woke up, but I feel better already. Like I wasn't hurt at all, well...except for my face anyway."

The rain stopped, leaving the trio damp.

Sakura looked up at the sky and seemed confused, as if she'd just realized something. "That rain, it was strange. There's no clouds."

OooOOooOO

Naruto gave a sigh. His forehead protector and face had what looked like claw marks running down the left side of his face. It missed his eyes, but tore up the bottom of his forehead and cheek pretty bad.

Sakura took her mirror back. He didn't look very upset. The black scroll was now resting against a nearby tree. "How far are we from that tower?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "About half a mile or so. We've still got four days. We should stay here tonight."

The kunoichi noticed he was looking at the scroll. "What is that? You didn't have it before. Did that guy drop it?"

Naruto looked over at her and shook his head. "No. I almost died. I had to make a deal." He was rubbing at the sleeping fuzz ball in his lap with his fingers.

Uchiha looked over at him. "Deal? What sort of deal?"

The boy shrugged. "I've got to take care of him. I promised, in exchange for saving my life. No matter what, I've got to protect him."

Sakura looked at the creature in confusion. "What? A deal with who?"

Sasuke glared at her. "Are you stupid? You saw what that is. Who do you think?" He hung his head and clenched his fist. "We've got enough scrolls. We should get to that tower."

The kunoichi seemed irate with Sasuke. "I don't know what you mean! What are you talking about?"

Sasuke growled. "Forget about that. He said those Sound nin are with him. They're supposed to attack us soon. Remember?"

Sakura gasped. "Huh? Hey. He did. What do we do? We can't stay here then."

Naruto smirked. "I know. We should go now." He felt better, and didn't want to be around if that guy showed back up.

Uchiha frowned at him. "Naruto. If you ever jump in front of me that way again. I'll kill you." He glared off into the wood as they all stood up. "I can take care of myself."

Sakura frowned. "Well, whatever that thing did. It worked. That thing bit you, and it didn't even leave a mark behind. You got stabbed in the chest, and it's healed too. That scratch on your face doesn't look infected or anything. We should be fine."

Naruto looked up at her with an unreadable frown and nodded. "Yeah." The fox in his lap nuzzled his hand in it's sleep and rolled onto it's back. He picked it up into his arms and froze as he looked at his hand. On his left ring finger, was a black metal band. "What the?"

Sasuke was walking ahead of them. "We head for the tower then?"

Naruto looked up at him and gave a nod. "We'll stick to the plan. I feel pretty good." About fifty of him appeared around him and dashed off into the woods.

Sakura frowned and gave a sigh. "Well, we need to be careful. We know those sound jerks are after us now, and there's bound to be traps and enemies in our way."

Naruto looked at his fist and got an unreadable look on his face. "Something is weird. I can't worry about it now though." He cradled the animal in his arm and stroked it's fur as he moved off after his teammates. "I should be careful though. I've got a funny feeling about all this." There were fewer clones than he'd been expecting. Still a lot more than Sakura and Sasuke could possibly make, but still. Something was off about him.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The road to the Tower.


	12. Chapter 12

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 12

The road to the Tower.

OooOOooOO

Anko Mitarashi frowned as she dashed through the woods. She had a firm frown on her face as she glared ahead. "He's here!" A short time before, she'd been shown three bodies. Three bodies that were the victim of a horrible and familiar jutsu. She landed on a tree branch and looked over her shoulder. "I've got to slow him down until the ANBU arrives. That's my job, right Orochimaru?"

"That's impossible." He faded out of the bark of the tree behind her. The woman spun around and tried to toss several kunai. Orochimaru's tongue lashed out and wrapped around her arm as she did so disrupting her throw and sending them falling away to the ground.

The woman grabbed the tongue and a serpent came out of her sleeve and bit down on it. "You won't get away! Shadow Snake Hand!" She pulled him out of his hiding spot and into her arms. Spinning the both of them into the trunk of the tree and pinning her own hand down over his in the bark. "Heh. I've got you. I'm going to borrow your left hand Orochimaru!"

He looked at what she was doing as she performed a seal with both of their hands. "This seal?"

She grinned and glared into his eyes. "Yes. You and I will both die!"

"Heh. Planning to commit suicide?" Anko froze as she realized what was in front of her was just a clone. "You're a special Jounin of this village. You shouldn't be using all those forbidden jutsu I taught you." The clone vanished, leaving her hand injured and her attack useless.

Anko turned and glared at him, pulling the kunai from her hand as she did. "Why are you here?"

The thing behind her pulled it's face off and chuckled. "We've not seen each other in so long. Why are you so cold?" His features were like that of a snake, his cheeks sunken in and his eyes dark and cold.

The kunoichi growled as she faced him. He looked very relaxed. "Have you come to assassinate the Hokage?"

Orochimaru seemed amused. "No. I don't have enough men for that yet. I'm here to recruit some outstanding ones. There's someone I want. One with Uchiha blood in his veins. I'll give him my mark soon enough. He's very beautiful you see, the perfect vessel to be my successor."

She glared at him. "What? You're planning on giving him that curse seal? He won't survive!"

"There's a chance he will. His unfortunate friend won't though. He got in my way, so I did away with him. Almost got me with that suicidal jutsu of his. It's a shame, he was very strong. That demon fox kid. Still, him being gone, I suppose it makes the village a bit safer doesn't it? Not that any of you cared for him anyway. Kind of annoying, doing you all a favor like that."

The woman's eyes went wide. "Wha?" She was having trouble keeping her feet and clutching at her shoulder in pain as sweat poured off her face.

He grinned at her. "I'm rather enjoying this. Three from my village are participating in the exam. Don't stop it, I won't bother it again. I promise, your village will suffer if you end my entertainment too soon."

OooOOooOO

"I can't believe this." Neji Hyuuga frowned as he gripped a paper in his hand.

Ten Ten was standing nearby as he sat on the root of a tree glaring at what was in his hand. "What happened? I don't get it."

Rock Lee was sitting nearby in silence, clenching his fist.

Neji growled. "It's a map to that tower. There's a mark near the doors. I was going to check on the scroll, but I found this instead!"

Lee looked at him. "A trap?"

The Hyuuga boy glared at him. "For what? We don't have a scroll anymore? What's the point then?" He stood up and glared at the brush. "Who's there?"

Shikamaru and his team came wandering out. "You too then?" He held up his hand and waved another map just like it.

Ten Ten jumped to her feet. "What are you doing sneaking up on us like that!?" She had weapons in her hands and prepared to attack.

Shikamaru glanced at her. "Hey. We overheard you. Calm down. The same thing happened to us." He glanced at Ino and the girl flushed and looked a little embarrassed.

The six nin frowned at each other. Neji spoke up. "What do you think, Shikamaru?"

Nara shrugged and put his hands into his pockets. "I'm not sure. Doesn't make sense. I don't think it's a trap. There's nothing to gain. Our scrolls are gone."

Ino looked at the group. "So? What do we do?"

Choji frowned at the others. "I say we check it out. I'm almost out of food anyway."

"We should be trying to find scrolls. There's got to be more!" Ten Ten frowned at them all.

Shikamaru looked at her. "I've got a funny feeling Choji is right."

Both groups turned to him in shock.

Rock Lee glanced up at him. "How do we know this isn't some sort of trick?"

Nara glanced at him. "To do what? We've got no scrolls, and I'm willing to bet you found this where yours used to be."

Neji looked at his teammates and nodded. "Yeah. So?"

Shikamaru looked around. "Well, I ran into Kiba's group. Their scroll is missing, and they didn't get one of these. I think it might be just us. This mark isn't far from the entrance to that tower. Right outside in fact."

Hyuuga lifted his map. "So? What's that mean?"

The other team's leader smirked. "Hey. Show me that map." He walked over to his side and held his forward.

Neji looked like he didn't trust him for a moment, but held it out to him. Rather than take it, Shikamaru put his up beside it. "Heh. I thought so. The mark at the end of the trail is in a different place on our map than yours."

The white eyed boy seemed confused. "So? Wait..."

Shikamaru smirked. "Yeah. I bet we find a pair of scrolls at each of these marks. Someone wants both of our teams to make it to the next round."

Hyuuga growled. "Could be a trap."

Ten Ten shrugged. "I say we go. If he's wrong, we've still got time to find another scroll."

Rock Lee nodded as well. "A trap would serve no purpose. What he says makes sense to me."

Shikamaru seemed to agree. "It would be better if we don't go together. If you don't trust me, you can check our things. We don't have a scroll anymore, and there's no point in tricking you if you've not got one either."

Neji thought about it for a moment. "All right. That sounds better than wandering around this forest. Maybe we'll get lucky?"

OooOOooOO

Naruto chuckled as he landed next to his teammates. Sasuke was glaring at the trio far below them in anger. The hooded nin flipped a scroll in his palm and caught it. "Heh. That was too easy. Those jerks wouldn't be much fun for the three of us anyway."

Sakura had a kunai in her grip and gave him a playful looking smirk. "What's the password?"

Naruto glanced at her and seemed pleased. "All warfare is based on deception."

She relaxed and looked down at the Sound trio far below them. "Those are those jerks with that guy who attacked us."

Uzumaki looked at her. "Yeah. No point in bothering them now. They've got nothing we want anymore."

Sasuke frowned at the three Sound nin far below. "I say we kick their asses anyway." The Sound nin were looking very cautious and moving through the forest floor looking a little spooked far below them.

Naruto shrugged. "Why?"

Sakura frowned at him. "They're after us. You heard that Orochimaru guy."

The blond nin shrugged. "What do you think will piss them off more? Getting the fight they want and losing, or losing this scroll and never finding us? They'll know it was us when they figure out it's gone. I promise." He smiled at them. "Always show mercy to your enemies. Nothing annoys them more."

His two companions glanced at each other. Sakura gave Sasuke a shrug. The boy frowned and glared down at the forest below before jumping away with his teammates overhead.

OooOOooOO

About an hour later the female Sound nin frowned at her leader. "Hey. What's with you? Quit joking around would you?"

The one with the bindings around his face had frozen in his tracks and was looking at the page in his hand in shock. "It...it can't be!"

His male companion frowned. "What is it? We've got to find that Uchiha kid and kill him. Remember? Orochimaru will be pretty upset with us if..." His eyes went wide as he looked down at the page the other boy was holding.

"Thanks for the scroll losers. Signed Hidden Leaf Village Team Seven. Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki." Below it was a crude drawing of a face sticking it's tongue out at them with it's hands stuck in it's ears.

The one with the wrapped face growled. "N-no way!"

OooOOooOO

Anko was looking over the video tape again. She still couldn't believe it. The Garra kid didn't have a scratch on him. She sipped at a bottle of juice and frowned. It was the weirdest test she'd ever taken part in. First, Orochimaru had shown up, then, this weird Sand nin with a bad look in his eyes had broken all sorts of records with his team. There had also been a large explosion in the Forest at some point. It left a huge mess behind, but nothing to indicate what had done it.

She'd reported what had happened to the Hokage. He was aware of Orochimaru, and the fact that his village was involved with the exam that year. He'd left her to administer what was left after nothing more than thanking her and telling her he'd look into it. She wasn't expecting more, it didn't upset her much. He knew about it now though, and they would need to be on guard.

The old man had his head hung low, he looked thoughtful, and saddened. She'd reported Orochimaru's claim that Uzumaki had been killed as well. He'd not said anything about it, but the kid was bright, and there was a lot of hope for him. From what she knew, Kakashi wouldn't take it well.

"Mitarashi. Another team has arrived!" One of the examiners assisting her rushed into the room. He was gasping for breath.

"Huh?" She looked away and realized the man was holding another video tape. "It's the fourth team to get through."

The nin was wide eyed. "You're not going to believe this. You think that Sand kid was impressive? This...you have got to see."

Anko looked annoyed. "Oh. Now what? This can't get any weirder."

The man smirked. "The second exam is over. Take a look at this."

As soon as Anko saw who was on the screen her eyes went wide. "Wha? It..." Orochimaru claimed to have killed him. "It can't be! He's..." Uchiha and Haruno were both with him. He didn't have a shirt or his hood on, and his scarf was ripped to shreds, but still hiding his face.

The man grinned at her. "It gets better. Take a look at this. This is from yesterday." Once, about an hour before that Gaara kid arrived, and another a few hours after.

She looked confused. "Huh?" It was Naruto again. His clothes were in much better shape. He was doing something in the bushes near to the door to the tower, and then again, in a pile of rocks on the other side of the door. "What's he doing?"

The nin who had brought her the tape. "I still can't believe this. Take a look at those other two arrivals from Leaf. This is...wow."

Anko's juice dropped to the ground. First, Team Gai had arrived, Hyuuga went into the bushes Naruto had been messing with, and a moment later they came through the doors to the tower. About five minutes later, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji came out and went to the rocks Naruto had been messing with. "It..." She paused the tape and leaned in. The boy pulled two scrolls out of the stones, showed them to his teammates, and they all entered the tower. "Wow. That's pretty impressive. Wait. What do you mean the second exam is over? We've still got..."

The man produced a second tape from behind his back. "This is the one you really won't believe." He put it in, and started it. "It's from just a moment ago. They're still in the hall!"

It showed Team Seven inside the tower. They pulled out two scrolls, and then, two more, and two more, and two more... When they were finished, there was quite a pile of scrolls on the ground at their feet. In fact, there was only one earth scroll missing from all of them.

Her eyes went wide and the corner of her lips turned up. "You've got to be kidding me! Heh. I want him! Heh! He'll be..." Her eyes went out of focus. "Wait. What is that thing?" She only got a quick glance before the video ended.

"Huh?" The man blinked and turned his head. "Looks like he picked up a fox kit from the woods. I guess he wants a pet?"

Anko stood up. "Get me the Hokage now!" She turned and rushed from the room.

OooOOooOO

The three Genin looked up in surprise at the man standing in front of them.

Naruto was a bit wide eyed. "Iruka sensei?"

The man grinned at them. "Hey. Long time no see."

Sakura looked at the scrolls. "These things are some kind of sumoning jutsu?"

Their former instructor nodded. "That's right. You look like you had a bit of trouble. You're early. You're the fourth team to make it."

Naruto gave a cheerful nod. "Hey. The exam is over then!"

Iruka looked surprised. "Huh? Well, for you it is."

Sasuke was grinning with his arms crossed. "Heh. No one else is going to show up."

The man was looking at the ground, there was a large pile of scrolls at the trio's feet. "What?" He uncrossed his arms and took a step back. His eyes went wide and he looked at Team Seven with a rather wide eyed expression.

"Hey. Those other teams. Team Ten and Team Gai right? Who else?" Naruto looked pleased. "If there's four, I guess someone else got here before we could get to them. They must have been pretty quick."

The man worked his jaw. "What?! Th-this is..."

Sasuke had a fierce looking smile. "I hope it was those Sand nin."

Iruka was leaning against the wall under the sign. "Um...yeah. It was." His eyes turned up at the animal resting on Naruto's shoulder. It was looking at him with black eyes and gave an exuberant yip.

The boy looked at it and rubbed it's head. "Calm down would you? Heh." It licked at his face and settled down against his neck.

Sakura looked at him. "What are you going to name him?"

Naruto shrugged. "Kitsuma."

Iruka was confused, and at a loss for words. "You've made a friend?" His face brightened up a little. It was right about then when the tiny fox kit fanned his tails up like a peacock on the boy's shoulder. It's tongue was hanging from it's rather cheerful face.

Iruka went as white as a ghost and landed on his rear with his back to the wall. "Wha?" He pushed himself against the wall even harder. His features became pure terror and sweat began pouring down his face. "N-no! Th-the seal!"

Naruto put his hand on the creature to hold it in place as he backed away a little. Iruka had his hands up in front of him. He'd pulled out a kunai and gripped it in his shaking hand. The boy narrowed his eyes. "Iruka sensei. Put that away, or I'll make you."

The man looked at his eyes, the weapon clattered on the ground. "N-Naruto? What?"

The examiner for the second exam appeared. She had a frown on her face as she appeared between Team Seven and the terrified Chunin. "You three." She looked very serious and her eyes locked on Naruto and his new pet.

The boy had taken it off his shoulder and cradled it in his arm. His hand was on the handle of the sword on his back and he was moving towards the door. "Back off!"

Anko's eyes went a little harder. She didn't step forward. "The Hokage will be here in a moment. Calm down, all of you. Naruto, where the hell did you get that?"

The boy shifted his eyes away from her. The large black scroll was hanging from his back. "I...I promised to protect it. I can't let you..."

The woman's glare didn't lessen. "What? Do you have any idea what that is?"

Iruka was behind her, he'd gotten some of his senses back. "Naruto! You're in danger! Get away from it!"

The boy frowned at both of them. Sasuke and Sakura were between them and the instructors, looking confused and nervous. Naruto spoke up. "Not as much as you'll be in if the big one shows up and he's hurt. Back off." He didn't take his hand off his weapon and crouched a little.

Anko looked surprised, she'd gone almost as pale as Iruka. "B-big one? The seal?! What have you done?" Her eyes turned towards the floor. "Wait. Orochimaru!"

The three Genin all looked surprised. Sasuke spoke up. "Who the hell is that guy? He almost killed Naruto, and tried to attack me!"

"That's enough!" The room turned and Sarutobi walked up. His eyes were hidden by his hat, and he had his pipe in his hand. "You two. We'll discuss this later. Take care of Sasuke and Sakura, announce the end of the test and get the Genin out of the Forest." He looked at the pair. "Congratulations on passing the second part of the exam."

Anko glanced at Iruka. "You take care of them. I'm not leaving until I know what the hell is going on here." She turned her eyes back at Naruto again.

Kakashi appeared at the old man's side. He had his arms crossed and a serious look about him.

The Hokage turned towards the young Genin and the animal. "Uzumaki. You're coming with me. You've got some thing to tell us. I'm very interested in hearing what you've got to say."

The Team Seven Jounin's eyes fell on what the boy had in his arms. "What the hell?"

Naruto frowned at him. "I can't let you hurt him. It will be bad for the village if you do."

The Hokage had never seen such a look in the boy's eyes. "Calm down. Take your hand off your weapon and come with me. You're going to have to explain this. Your new friend won't be harmed." He gave a heavy sigh and looked over at the boy's teammates. Iruka was ushering them off, and they were both looking back at the scene with a little concern. Sasuke was doing his best to hide his, but it was clear.

Uzumaki glanced at his teammates and took his hand off his blade. "All right. If he's hurt...Kyuubi won't be happy. He's gone. I don't have him anymore. As long as Kitsuma is safe, he'll leave the village alone."

Everyone in the room looked rather wide eyed at that announcement.

Iruka was a quivering mess. "The seal?!"

Sarutobi clenched his fist. "I see. Very well. Come with me Uzumaki. We need to deal with this quickly. The rest of you. Not a word of this leaves this room. Understood? Especially you two." He glared at Sakura and Sasuke in a stern way. "You have no idea the panic this could cause if word of it leaves here. The rest of you should know what I mean."

All the adults gave him an unreadable glance and each one nodded. Kakashi looked at Sakura and Sasuke. "You two. Good job, go with Iruka."

The Chunin nodded at him. "Come on you two." They walked out the door he'd been ushering them towards as best he could.

Sasuke and Sakura both looked at Naruto. Neither one spoke, but the blond boy raised his hand to give them a reassuring wave. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

OooOOooOO

Naruto hung his head. The fox kit was still in his arms. He'd just finished relating the tale of the battle with Orochimaru, and the Demon Fox's deal. The scroll was laid out on a desk in an office within the tower.

Sarutobi had the black scroll in his hand and had it lifted up to inspect it. "You didn't read this did you?"

Naruto frowned. "I didn't have much choice. He said he wouldn't hurt the village. He can't, as long as..."

Kakashi gave a heavy sigh. "So, let me get this straight. You've been feeding the Demon Fox, keeping it company, and entertaining it with pranks."

The boy flushed and nodded, cradling his new pet. "I guess. I just figured I could make him more comfortable. I felt sorry for him a little. I knew he was evil and all, but we were both stuck like that. I thought it would make it easier on both of us."

Sarutobi shook his head. "I see."

"He said he'd give me a gift to protect, and in exchange he'd save my life. I made him promise he'd never hurt the village again! As long as Kitsuma is safe! I've got to keep him I guess. Like a pet or something." Naruto knew he'd really screwed up. They'd banish him for sure.

Anko was standing in the corner. "That dope. I can't believe you'd be this stupid. Feeding it, keeping it company, making sure it was 'comfortable', just like..."

Sarutobi sighed. "Yes. So it would seem."

Even Kakashi was surprised and annoyed with him. "Naruto. I can't believe you didn't read this before signing it. You're about the last person I'd expect to be this stupid."

He hung his head. "He promised he wouldn't hurt the village. If I'd stopped to read it, I'd have died before I could sign it. I barely made it as it is." He looked ashamed, but remembered well just being able to put his mark on the scroll before he fell over and blacked out.

The Hokage looked up at him. "He? Uzumaki. The Demon Fox is female."

The boy looked up at him and flushed. "Huh?"

Anko was giving him a rather wry looking grin. "You dolt. Don't you realize you've been acting like a potential mate? Feeding her, hanging around, making sure she was comfortable. You idiot. That contract..."

The boy was giving her a somewhat dumbstruck look. "Huh?"

Kakashi looked up at him from leaning over the scroll. "Naruto. This is a marriage contract. The Kyuubi is your wife."

"What!?" The unfortunate boy's eyes went rather wide. Kitsuma yipped and wagged it's tails.

Sarutobi had his cheek in his palm. "That creature you're holding. It's not a pet, Uzumaki. It is your son."

Naruto staggered back into the wall. "Wha? I got her pregnant? No way! I never even...! I mean, I wouldn't...! How did...?"

The old man gave a heavy sigh and shook his head. "It works a bit different with a demon I'm afraid. They don't get pregnant as you're familiar with. She decided she liked your courtship, and decided to breed with you. You didn't have to sleep with her, she just made a child from both of you. It's just that simple." He stood up. "I've read the terms of this contract."

Naruto was looking at Kitsuma with wide eyes. He looked up and found the old man squatting down to look at the kit in his arms. "Huh?"

Sarutobi looked very serious. "Don't be alarmed. There is something I must see." He put his hand over the boy's belly and closed his eyes. After a moment he gave a small mutter, shook his head, and turned away. "As I suspected. The seal is gone, and the Kyuubi with it."

Anko frowned and looked over at Naruto from her corner. "That's bad. Right?"

Kakashi looked at her and gave a nod. "It is, isn't it?"

The old man sat behind the desk and closed up the scroll. "Not really. As long as her child is safe. She won't be able to harm the village. We're safer now than we were with the seal in place. This contract is much more stable and reliable than any seal. As long as Uzumaki upholds his end of the bargain, she cannot harm Konoha again."

Both the Jounin looked surprised.

Naruto swallowed. "So um..."

Sarutobi gave him a warm smile. "She wouldn't give him a child he couldn't control if she intended him to protect it. She won't harm him either. The contract protects him from her as much as us."

Kakashi gave a nod. "She said she'd return in three years. That doesn't sound good to me. What should we do?"

The old man puffed on his pipe. "Well. I expect he should be here to greet his wife when that happens. There are stories of such unions in the past, once thought mere folklore. I suspect they are more true than we suspected. Fox wives are known to be quite loyal and devoted wives when matched with a man that appeals to them according to the tales. Considering his story, that appears to be the case. I suggest we do everything we can to not upset her." He looked at Kakashi and Anko. "Unless one of you believes themselves to be a match for the Fourth? Even then, it was a costly venture to imprison the creature. I do not think Konoha can withstand such a battle and remain strong."

Naruto was looking confused and nervous. "So...what do I do?"

Sarutobi leaned over the desk and put his hand on the scroll. "Be the best father you can. All of our lives may depend on it."

Naruto looked very dazed and nodded. "Y-yeah."

Anko looked over at the old man. "Well, he did pass the exam."

Kakashi looked surprised and nodded. "So he did."

The Hokage seemed pleased. "Yes. He'll be entered into the third round of the exams. They won't take place for another month. We'll explain the details later when all of the Genin are present."

Kakashi gave a nod. "I'll take him to meet with his teammates."

Naruto followed him out the door. Sarutobi gave a heavy sigh.

Anko glanced over at him. "What will the village think of this? If he's staying, we won't be able to hide it forever."

The old man gave a heavy sigh. "I'm going to have to go over this with the counsel." He looked like he wasn't looking forward to it.

The woman nodded. "There are a lot of bad memories about that...thing."

The Hokage nodded. "Naruto is perhaps the best one to deal with it. He's used to the feelings his child's mother incites."

Anko nodded. "The Kyuubi is free. Having her on the loose isn't going to sit well."

The old man glanced at her. "What would you have me do? Banish him and the child? He'll be safer here than in the outside world, especially with that child with him. The safer that child is, the safer we are."

The kunoichi nodded. "Not everyone will understand that. It worries me."

Sarutobi nodded. "I know. How to deal with this is a delicate problem." He gave a heavy sigh and pulled down his hat. "Perhaps making clear the threat harming Naruto's son will present will help with that."

Anko frowned. "It may be better to let them think the Demon Fox is still inside him?"

The Hokage sat back and folded his hands. "Hmmm. Perhaps, but as much as I hate to say it, this may be a case where fear will work to our advantage. Knowing she is loose, and that she will be vengeful to those who harm her child may be the best way to keep the both of them safe in the village. Setting them loose into the dangers of the outside world is a much bigger risk."

Anko nodded. "I see. How do you plan on sending him out on missions then? Even if he becomes a Chunin?"

The old man smirked. "Send him out? Heh. I'm afraid that's not an option until his son is a bit older." Sarutobi looked at her in a way that told her he wasn't telling her everything. "There are things that need to be done here in the village. He's already passed these exams."

A voice from the shadows caused both of them to freeze in place. "There's no need for that. We'll be happy to keep watch over his son."

Anko whirled around with a kunai in her grip. A hand stopped her and she seemed surprised as the Hokage's wrinkled hand grabbed her wrist. Her eyes went wide as two men in black hoods stood in front of the desk with their arms crossed over their chests. They both seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "What? No way!"

Ken and Ryu looked the pair down with calm and cheerful eyes. They were still quite intimidating looking though.

The old man gave them a pleasant smile and released Anko as she relaxed. "Well. I've been looking forward to meeting the two of you."

Anko growled. "Who the hell are you?" She looked towards the Hokage. "You know them?"

Sarutobi stood up. "These are the men who trained young Uzumaki. I am Sarutobi, the Hokage of Konoha."

Anko looked rather shocked. "What? Trained...him?"

"I am Ken." The one closest to her turned his head to look at her.

"I am Ryu." The other nodded at the old man. "Quite impressive isn't he?"

Ken nodded. "We hope you're pleased with the results. He's been an outstanding student. Quite intelligent, hard working, and very skilled."

The other gave a chuckle. "Indeed. We are rather attached to him, and are concerned for his well being. We won't allow any harm to come to him, or his child."

Ken gave a heavy sigh. "Though. I do admit this was rather boneheaded of him."

Ryu agreed. "Yes. Most unexpected. I suppose I'd be lying if I said it wasn't entertaining. He'll be able to perform his duties without problems. Don't worry."

His companion nodded. "Yes. It would be a shame to put all that work into training him, and have it end like this. We are both quite proud of our student, and wish to see him do well in life."

Anko stepped back away from them and growled a little. "Why should we trust you? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The old man looked at the pair. "Well. I suppose we're in no position to refuse them. Anko, if they wished us dead. We never would have known they were here. Stand down." He spoke in a gentle tone.

The woman glared at him, but calmed. "I...see." She stayed at his side and kept her eyes on the pair.

Ken seemed amused. "She's cute. Anyway, we like you. You've always been kind to Naruto."

Ryu seemed pleased and not very serious. "Yeah. We've got nothing better to do anyway. We're both retired as teachers, but Naruto should do nicely at that in a few years anyway. I guess we can keep watch over his son for you."

His companion chuckled. "Yeah. I've a feeling he'll be pretty busy."

The other agreed. "Besides, once he's old enough to take human form. He'll make a pretty impressive ninja himself. That should be really entertaining. Heh."

Anko's face fell. "Huh?"

Sarutobi had an odd grin on his face. "Yes. I was just thinking the same thing myself." He glanced at Anko and back at the pair. "Very well. I accept your offer. On one condition."

The pair seemed surprised. "Huh?"

"You'll be staying in the village. You understand of course. This is a delicate matter, and we'll need to be able to keep an eye on things. The Fox kit's progress will need to be monitored, and we need to be able to keep our eye on him. The safety of the village depends on it." He puffed on his pipe and watched their reaction. "I have the authority to allow you to stay here as members of the village. You'll have to obey our laws of course, but..."

Both men looked at each other, gave a shrug as they seemed to agree on it, and looked at Sarutobi with a simultaneous nod. "Fine." Ryu seemed pleased. "We were getting tired of hanging about the woods all the time anyway."

"Right." Ken didn't seem disagreeable. "We'll have to get jobs though. How annoying."

The Hokage gave him a wry looking smirk. "We can make arrangements for that."

Anko looked rather shocked. "Are you kidding? We don't even know them!"

The pair looked at each other and back at the Hokage. "Well, just let Naruto know when everything is ready. We'll be seeing you."

The old man nodded and ignored the Jounin. "Yes. So it seems."

The lights in the office went out for a split second, when they returned, both the mysterious men were gone.

Anko frowned, but finally just ended up giving a small sigh. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Sarutobi just gave her a cheerful smile. "So do I. Don't worry. I don't believe they lied to us. I know more of this than I'm willing to say. It's not the first time Uzumaki has spoken of them. He's quite fond of them, and respects them a great deal. I do not believe he will have any problem trusting them with this, and I'm afraid that judgment is up to him. It is his son after all."

The woman gave a nod and seemed to relax a little more. "I see. If there's nothing else?"

"No. Finish up your duties. The second exam is over now. I don't think there's anything more we can do today." The old man sat back down and seemed to relax in his seat. He glanced at the scroll as the woman left the room and shook his head. "Uzumaki, I wish you luck. For all our sakes."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Taking a break.

Author's note. I get reviews from time to time about how I don't fall victim to one of my fanfiction pet peeves: the Improper use of quotation marks. A lot of other authors don't know how to use them correctly, and on occasion I'll get well meaning review indicating that I'm not using them right. Well, yeah I am actually. It's the other guys who are screwing it up. I'm not trying to point out anyone in particular, but it seems to come up in a couple of reviews every time I start a new story. Three times so far for this one.

A quick lesson in grammar.

"" Quotation marks are the only correct way to indicate quotes. It doesn't matter if they're in another language, thoughts, or being shouted. It is literally why quotation marks exist. There is no other correct way. Anything else is just bad grammar. That's why we have words like thought, thinking, said, shouted, Chinese, Japanese, English, etc. The only exception to this rule, is quotes within quotes, which can be indicated with apostrophes around the inner quote to prevent confusion.

Someone pointed out an example of the right way would fit. I agree. A simple example of the grammatically correct way to write out a thought quote is. [ "That's silly," thought Bob. ] or [ Bob thought, "That's silly." ]

Italics aren't a grammar option, and I suppose you could use them. In reality though, they're just a different font, much like bold type. Use of fonts aren't involved in grammar rules. It's no different than using 'Sans Serif' for thought and 'Times New Roman' for speech. Whether something is speech or thought should be made clear outside of quotes, not with different fonts, or symbols to replace quotations. I'm not always good at doing that, but I'm working on improving.

Apostrophes can also be placed around titles, such as the name of a book, or song. They are not used to indicate thoughts, another language, or replace quotes in any way outside of preventing confusion about where dialog begins and ends when a character is quoting someone else within their own dialog.

I won't even get into how bad an offense using ** ^^ {} or [] is. There are few things that will get me to stop reading a story faster than seeing this sort of thing. It hurts my eyes and indicates poor writing skills. Whether something is a thought or another language should be made clear outside of the quotes.

Some publishers or writers will use italics to indicate thoughts. I can accept that, but it's not really correct either. I won't do it myself, but that's just me. Well, not if no one is paying me to do it wrong to save ink in a publication of some sort anyway. That's really what it is, cheating a bit as a way to save ink for publishers. It has become generally accepted because of that.

As a general rule, if it's something that you wouldn't be able to express in handwritten form, it's not something that's a rule of grammar. Fonts aren't something that can really be expressed by most people using normal handwriting. So, they don't really factor into it.


	13. Chapter 13

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 13

A break.

OooOOooOO

Naruto walked through the doors into a large open room. The others who had passed the test were standing around in front of a group of Chunin and Jounin examiners. He had on a fresh shirt and hood, the Hokage was in the center of the examiners, and their team instructors stood behind him, looking down at the four groups. Kitsuma was sitting on his shoulder, looking about with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He was still wearing his torn and shredded scarf over his face.

Sakura and Sasuke both noticed him move up behind them. A few of the other Genin looked back to give him a glance, but no one aside from his team took real notice of him.

Anko gave a smirk as she watched him take his place in the back corner of the formation of Genin. "Heh. Twelve of them. I was expecting single digits, but there's no need for preliminary rounds for the sixth year in a row."

Sasuke frowned at his teammate. "About time you showed up."

Sakura noticed his new pet on his arm still. "What happened?"

The boy glanced at her. "I'm not supposed to say anything. You'll find out later."

They both looked confused, but didn't press the matter. Naruto looked up and noticed Kakashi was looking at him.

Gai was standing next to him and grinning. "Heh. It's impressive that those two rookie teams made it this far. I'm afraid they've got no chance from here. From now on, it's a matter of how reliable they are. The time of youth is full of both sweet and bitter memories."

His rival turned and seemed to notice him. "Huh? Did you say something?"

Gai turned away looking annoyed. "Darn. He's so good at being cool in that way! No matter."

The Hokage started speaking and everyone gave him their attention. He explained the true reason for the Chunin exams, and how they replaced war between the villages. It was the result of several treaties, and kept peaceful relations between the villages. It was also how the different countries decided where the contracts would go, and how much would be charged for services.

When he finished another nin appeared before them. He looked a little ill, and had dark bags under his eyes. "I am Hayate. I'll be explaining the rules of the final exam. We've got a limited time frame, but the number of participants isn't too many. Usually, it's between six and nine, so we'll be pressed a little. Four teams is right at our limit." He gave a cough and looked them over. "The fights will be just like a real life confrontation. There are no rules. The winner will be decided when one of the participants is killed, unable to fight, or admits defeat. If the referee decides that one is outmatched and ends the fight, then the fight will end there. We don't want needless corpses piling up." The man held up a bag. "Please take a slip of paper from this bag, on each one there is a number. When everyone has one, you'll be asked to read it out loud."

The Genin all did as they were asked. Hayate was writing on a board and held it up. "These are the results, and the order of your matches. Please look carefully."

Sakura was pitted against Ino in the first match, Naruto was facing Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee was to fight Sasuke, Gaara was fighting a very nervous looking Kankuro, Shikamaru was against Ten Ten, and in the last match, Temari would be going up against an annoyed looking Choji.

The large boy looked at his best friend. "Great. We're both stuck fighting girls."

His team leader looked annoyed. "Great."

Kakuro looked speechless and was sweating bullets. He looked at his team leader. "Hey. Just don't kill me or cripple me all right?" It was the worst case scenario in his mind.

Temari looked a bit worried. "Yeah. Come on brother, take it easy on him all right? He's a bit of a jerk, but he doesn't deserve to die."

Gaara frowned at them both and said nothing for a long moment. He looked forward again and spoke. "I'll think about it."

The kabuki clad nin swallowed. "Please just be joking."

The Hokage spoke up again. "Well, now that this is taken care of, I'll explain the rest. As I said before, the matches will be watched by many important dignitaries, as a result, they will take place in one month. This will give you time to recover, and allow us to gather everyone together. You will also have time to plan suitable strategies for what you will face. Even though, I admit your enemy's abilities are probably unknown to you."

Shikamaru glanced over at Naruto and gave a small frown. "Yeah." Neji was doing much the same thing and he glanced over at him as well.

The Hyuuga boy looked a little confused. "What? What the hell?" His eyes were wide as he stared back at the hooded boy. "That's Uzumaki? I-I've never seen him before..."

Shikamaru glanced at him and frowned. "Yeah. So?"

The white eyed boy had his fist clenched and didn't take his eyes off his new opponent. "N-no soul?" Some of the things he'd overheard Hinata say about him began to come back to him. He'd heard her parents chiding her about it, but... "It can't be. There's just no way! Is he some sort of zombie?" He could see his chakra lines and points, but they were empty. He really looked like a walking dead body.

Shikamaru snorted and seemed to realize the boy was ignoring him. "Whatever. The Hyuuga clan sure are weird." He looked over at Naruto and felt a little less comfortable. When he looked back again, Neji had his eyes towards the floor muttering to himself.

"What is that thing? Some sort of Genjutsu? It's got to be! This is crazy!"

The old man looked out over the crowd of Genin. "Use this time wisely. You should prepare yourselves, for your very lives might be on the line. It is a time for healing, inward meditation, and training. All of you should be stronger when you return. Make no mistake, it will be a difficult battle."

Sasuke glanced over at Lee and gave the boy a smirk. His opponent had a hard glare in his eyes and a smile of his own. His eyes moved over to Gaara, and he found the boy looking at Naruto with an unreadable gaze. The Sand nin's eyes moved towards him as well with the same look. After a moment, he turned to look up at the Hokage.

"That is all." The old man dismissed them and the children turned away to the doors.

Sasuke walked up to Naruto. "Uzumaki."

"Uchiha, Haruno." The blond nin nodded at them both.

The pink haired kunoichi didn't even glance at her opponent. "I'm looking forward to it now. I didn't think I would be. I'm a lot stronger than I thought coming into this, and I've got a whole month to train."

Ino moved up to her side and gave her a confident looking smirk. "Well, I hope you're ready to lose. There's no way you'll beat me, not in love, and not..."

Her rival turned to look at her without a smile and seemed serious. "Ino. In case you've not noticed, I don't consider you a rival anymore." She walked away with her team and left her standing there.

The blond girl's jaw dropped. "What? Hey! You..." She balled up her fists and growled at the girl. "Haruno! You huge foreheaded..." The girl continued on her way, ignoring her. "What? That...that..."

Shikamaru walked up to her side. "Ouch. That was cold."

"What's with her?" Ino was angry and annoyed.

Choji shrugged. "Who cares? I'm hungry."

Ten Ten walked by with Gai and Neji beside her. The girl looked the blond up and down as she passed. "It's pretty simple really, she's moved past you, in love, and ninjutsu."

The Yamanaka girl screeched at her. "Who asked you anyway?! There's no way that ugly forehead with legs is gonna beat me!"

Ten Ten stopped and frowned at her as she turned on her heels with a fierce look in her eyes. "Heh."

Ino jumped back and looked a little frightened.

The girl in Chinese clothes ran her thumb across her nose. "Well, in case you didn't notice. We were given a free pass to get here. Who do you think it was that gave it to us? Those Sand Nin?"

Ino growled. "I don't know. What would you know of it anyway?"

Shikamaru grabbed her shoulder. "Shut the hell up would you? Team Seven stole those scrolls and hid them. I'm not sure why, but I'm betting it wasn't because of you."

Ten Ten gave a nod as the blond girl froze up. "That Haruno, she's strong. I hope I get to fight her. I certainly respect her more than this brat. It will be a real woman's battle, I don't think this little girl belongs here."

Ino was livid. "Wh-what did you say?"

Ten Ten walked away and glanced over her shoulder a final time with a cruel looking grin on her face. "Heh. You'd better train hard. Compared to Haruno, you're nothing."

The blond kunoichi seemed to freeze and looked shocked. "Wha? No way! I've never lost to Sakura! I'm not about to start now! There's no way she'll ever beat me, in Ninjutsu, or Love! I'm her superior in both!"

Choji was munching on the bottom of a bag of chips. "Can we go now? I've only got a few snacks left."

Shikamaru grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm not sure if I'm mad at him or not. Why the heck did he give us those scrolls anyway? What's the deal?"

Naruto was leaning against the doorway as he passed by just outside the room. He had his head hung low, and a tiny muzzle was poking out of the bottom of his hood below his chin. "Because. I want to see what you do with that IQ of yours in something that's not strategy games."

The boy froze and both his teammates looked over at him.

"Those sand nin got here on their own. Those were the only scrolls I wasn't able to get my hands on. As for Team Gai, well, Sasuke's been running his mouth. I wanna see how he does against that Rock Lee. Plus, I'm curious on who thickbrows thinks the strongest Genin in Konoha is. I'm guessing it's that Hyuuga guy."

Ino gave him an angry stare. "Are you saying you're the one who stole our scroll and then gave us..."

The hood moved up and down once. "Heh. Yup. I'd say I couldn't have planned it better, but I kind of did. Worked out just the way I wanted." He pushed out of his lean and started to walk away. "See you later."

Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets and frowned. "Yeah. I guess so."

Choji looked at his friend. "So now what?"

The boy frowned at him and the kunoichi. "All of us had better train hard if we don't want to get our butts kicked." He started walking off and shook his head. "How annoying."

OooOOooOO

Kabuto stood with the Sound nin leader. "The second exam is over." He had a frown on his face and looked a bit ashamed.

Orochimaru was in disguise. He gave a nod and looked out across a garden while leaning against a pillar. "Yes. It seems Sasuke has slipped through our fingers for now."

Kabuto was annoyed and frustrated. It was the first time he'd not had to bow out of the final exam. He stayed silent and just gave a nod.

"My three Sound nin couldn't even find him. He and Haruno were able to leave the forest undetected. Astounding." Orochimaru growled and clenched his fist. "I shouldn't have killed that brat. I don't understand how they were able to slip by. At least then they'd be in the final exam and..."

"I've failed you. I..." Kabuto looked a little frightened.

The man glared at him and seemed about ready to strike. He relaxed. "No. It was me who screwed this up. We'll have to move forward with our plans regardless. There's too much riding on it. Uchiha can wait for another opportunity to present itself."

The gray haired nin didn't speak for a moment. "Should we kidnap him? I could..."

Orochimaru looked at him as his lips turned up a little. "No. Not yet. He'll have others with him. He'll be difficult to catch as well, he's more skilled than I anticipated. At least I got rid of that fox brat. He would have been an obstruction later. He was growing fond of him, changing his heart. Now, he's got even more reason to give into his revenge and let his hatred grow." He chuckled. "It will make things easier later if that fox kid isn't around."

Kabuto looked surprised and nodded. "I see. What would you have me do then?"

"We move forward with out plans. Losing Sasuke is unfortunate, but only a temporary setback. He'll be too well guarded, and difficult to catch and hold without the newly formed curse seal to slow him down and make controlling him easier." The head of Sound glanced at his spy and grinned. "I'll dye him with my colors soon enough."

Kabuto nodded. "Yes. I've got to get back before I'm noticed missing. I've got to admit, I'm a bit relieved Uzumaki is gone. I think he was suspicious of me."

Orochimaru stayed leaning against his post and opened a small book. "Yes. He did seem to know something about using spies, and his ideas about warfare are simplistic, but not foolish. It's a shame, had he not gotten in my way, he might have proven a useful pawn himself one day." He grinned. "Line eighteen, heh. 'All warfare is based on deception'. Clever boy, a pity."

The spy vanished and went back to his duties.

OooOOooOO

Naruto stood next to the Hokage. The old man frowned down at him and leaned in close. "Naruto. I must ask that you remain silent, and if questioned, agree with anything I have said. I do not intend to be entirely dishonest, but things will go better if I do all the speaking. You may be required to say something, but it will be best if you support what I say."

The boy nodded and put his hand on the fox kit. It was a fixture on the boy's shoulder since he'd met with the old man in his office. The exams were over, and he'd been called away by Kakashi to meet with the old man before returning home after the event. His instructor was already in the room that was filled with most of the village. He was shaking a bit and looked nervous.

The old man gave him a reassuring grin and opened the door. "Stay at my side, and be as silent as you can be without being disrespectful." He had the scroll with his marriage contract written on it in his other hand. The Hokage hefted it onto his shoulder and entered the room with his hand on Naruto's shoulder, pulling him along with him through the side doors and into the meeting.

OooOOooOO

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, the Konoha village council were sitting at the head of the room. Sarutobi's seat was empty between them, and the old man and woman stood up to greet him.

Koharu spoke up first. "You've called us here to give us important news?"

The Hokage nodded. "Yes. I have important news, and I'm afraid it is important that the whole village understands what has happened."

Naruto looked over his shoulder, the hall wasn't filled with just nin. Almost all of Konoha was there, all the adults anyway. There were a few of his fellow Genin present, and a great number of nin. It was a huge hall, and filled to capacity. The room was an auditorium designed to hold such large meetings, not the council chambers.

Homura nodded and looked suspicious. "What is it?"

Sarutobi put down the scroll and propped it up against his hip, pulled out his pipe, and took a few puffs. "First, I must ask that everyone listen to everything I have to say. The news is very grave and serious, but thanks to this young boy's actions. The village is now far safer than it was before. Please remember that while you are listening to what I have to say. There is no cause for alarm."

Everyone looked confused and Naruto looked a bit surprised. His mask hid it, but the two elders in front of him noticed his reaction and narrowed their eyes.

The Hokage cleared his throat. "First, the worst part of this. Orochimaru, the rogue Sennin, attempted to murder this young boy."

Naruto was looking over his shoulder at the crowd. His eyes fell on a rather familiar wide eyed and slack jawed gray haired nin. He narrowed his stare at the older boy. Kabuto was surprised to see him, to the point that he was openly shocked. Everyone else in the room had their full attention on Sarutobi, but Kabuto had all of his attention on him alone. He was near the front of the room, and backed into the crowd when he realized he'd been spotted.

The Hokage continued speaking. "Many of you already know him, and the dark secret within his past."

Koharu stood up. "Sarutobi! Did you forget yourself?"

The old man shook his head. "No. When the rouge Sennin attempted to kill Naruto, he broke the seal."

Both of the elders got wide eyes, and most of the adults gasped. Sarutobi used the scroll and slammed the bottom of it down against the floor. "Enough! We are in no danger!"

Homura shouted. "You just told us the seal is broken! Have you gone mad?"

The Hokage glared back at him. "No. I told you already, this boy saved us all."

Naruto looked up at him and seemed confused.

Sarutobi continued to speak. "The Demon Fox no longer resides within him, the seal has been broken."

Koharu settled in her seat. "Then how does he live?"

The Hokage chuckled. "Why, he married her of course."

There was a gasp from within the crowd, mutters filled the crowd. The Hokage slammed the scroll down again. "Enough! He has saved countless lives with this sacrifice!" He glared at them all. "There are those among you who have treated him with hatred and disgust his whole life, yet he was willing to give up his own life to save every one of you!" He put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Naruto hung his head a little, Kitsuma was still sleeping, most of his furry form was hidden inside his hood.

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe. "The conditions of this contract are simple. As long as Naruto protects her child. She cannot harm Konoha, ever again. This agreement is far more stable, and more potent than even the Seal of the Fourth. We are safer from this danger now than ever before. All because of his willing sacrifice. As long as the Nine Tailed Fox child is safe, Konohagakure cannot be harmed by that monster again."

The two elders were looking at the young hooded nin with wide eyes. He glanced back at them both over his shoulder and looked rather pathetic.

The old man glared out at the crowd. "However, if the child is harmed, she will be quite vengeful. If the child is harmed or worse, killed, she will not leave a single living soul in the wake of her rage. All of Konoha must understand this, Naruto is her husband, and the guardian of her child, and his son. It is not just his responsibility to protect the young Fox Prince. It is all of us who must ensure that he is safe. As long as the child is safe, then so are we. There can be no mistake about this. It is not just your lives, but the lives of the entire village that depend upon his upholding this oath."

Homura stood up with a rage in his tone. "Sarutobi! Have you gone mad? Do you realize what you are saying?"

The man returned the glare. "Yes. If the boy had died, the seal would have been destroyed with him. The demon fox would have been weakened, but freed regardless. In a few short years, it would have returned to full strength, and come back for revenge upon the people of this village. His actions saved us all, do not be a fool and make no mistake regarding this fact. This contract has cost him his freedom, and binded him to his son the Fox Prince. He has given up his life, for the sake of the rest of our safety. Given his freedom, for our peace and security. Do you really not understand this?"

The old man worked his jaw and sat down. "You're saying?"

Naruto looked back at him. "I was already dead. That Orochimaru guy gave me some kind of curse, and stabbed me. If I hadn't done it, I'd have died, and the Kyuubi would have been freed."

The Hokage nodded and put a gentle hand on his head. "He is correct. The seal might have held for a short time even on his body. It would not have lasted forever, and the decay of his body would have released the Kyuubi upon all of us. I believe this was Orochimaru's plot from the beginning. Naruto Uzumaki's quick thinking, and selfless actions have saved us all from a terrible fate. I am not certain anyone here could match the Fourth and save us from such destruction again."

Koharu spoke in a quiet tone to the Hokage and covered her mouth. "What of that other matter? You spoke to us of Orochimaru's plans for the Uchiha boy as well..."

Sarutobi frowned at her and turned his head back to return her whisper. "There is no need to bring that up here. We'll be dealing with it when the time comes."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked back towards the crowd. Kabuto wasn't visible. He had a feeling the nin wasn't gone yet. He was also aware that Orochimaru wanted something from Sasuke, and that the elders knew of it. He kept his mouth shut and let things continue.

The Hokage gave the boy a smile. "Show them."

He gave a reluctant nod and pulled the nine tailed kit from his hood and cradled it in his arms. The animal put it's paws on his chest and yipped, waving it's tails behind it and looked very pleased.

Sarutobi looked out over the crowd. "Many here have treated him with hatred, looked upon him with cold and cruel eyes. Spoken against him, and wished him gone, or even harmed or killed. He is not so foolish or innocent to not notice this. Yet he gave everything to protect his home, and his village. A true ninja, and a great sacrifice. I understand these feelings, but you must understand that his burden, is now our burden. The safety and security of all Konohagakure depends upon this contract being honored. Forget your hatred, or it will only see us all destroyed."

The boy was stroking the creature, and his eyes were tearing up. Many heads within the crowd were hanging, some with shame, others with frustration and confusion.

The Hokage gave the entire room a serious glare. "Anyone who seeks to harm this child will be severely punished. Anyone who attempts to kill this child, will be put to death. I'm afraid it is a matter of great importance, and revenge is not a valid motive. Many gave their lives to defend this village against that threat, and I'm afraid that those who dishonor the memory of that sacrifice, even those who lost family and friends, will be treated as criminals, and punished to the full extent of this law. I am afraid that is the only way to protect ourselves."

There was a hush over the crowd.

Homura and Koharu both lowered their eyes. They looked at each other, stood up together and looked out over the crowd before speaking together. "We must support this."

Homura looked at the boy and gave a small smile. "The Hokage is correct."

Koharu nodded in agreement. "Yes. For the safety and security of Konoha, we will support this law."

Naruto wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. He wasn't sure what he felt, but Kakashi started to clap, a moment later Iruka joined him. Within a moment, the room was full of applause. Not everyone was clapping, but most of the room was on it's feet and cheering. Naruto was confused by the reaction and looked up at the old man at his side. "I don't...understand...?"

"They are acknowledging your sacrifice. Uzumaki, what you have done, has made you a hero. Nothing I said was a lie. Though, perhaps you didn't realize what you have done. You must live up to your promise. You must be a good father, and keep your son safe above all else."

He still seemed confused. "I'll do my best."

The Hokage nodded. "I expect no less from you. You have grown up into a true ninja. Do not falter, for the path ahead is very difficult. You must continue to live up to what you have become, for all of our sakes."

The boy felt Kitsuma licking at his cheek and gave a serious looking nod. "I promise. I won't fail. No matter what."

The old man started to lead him out of the room. "Be on your guard. I believe the village will support you, but there will be those who cannot be turned away from the past. You must guard him with great care. There may still be those within Konoha, who will betray us, despite what they now know."

Naruto gave a serious nod. "I...understand."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting in his home. Kitsuma was lapping up a bowl of milk on the table in front of him. The kit was a ball of energy, bouncing about within the walls of his home since he'd brought him home. "Heh. You like it here do you?"

His son finished his meal and bounced over to lick his face as the boy rested it on top of his arms on the tabletop. "Hey. Come on now." He scratched at the animal's skull and laughed. "You're gonna grow up big and strong I bet."

It yipped and bounded off the table, landing on the floor and tumbled about on the ground around his feet. The kit picked up one of his socks off the floor and started shaking it and growling.

Naruto squatted down in front of his son and grabbed it. "Hey. Spit that out, it's filthy!" He grabbed at one end, and Kitsuma pulled at the other end, shaking his head and giving a playful growl as he pulled on it. "Heh. Cut it out, brat."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sleeping on his mattress with a fur ball curled on the center of his chest. It growled in a cute manner, made a few soft yipping noises as it rolled onto it's back and spread it's legs. The boy was sprawled out over his messy sheets and shifted a bit into his pillow. His son was in the fox version of almost the same position spread out on top of his belly.

Uzumaki sat up and scratched at his head. He gave a heavy yawn as he looked down and grinned at his son. "Heh. What a fuzzball you are." The kit had slid off his chest and into his lap, leaving a warm feeling that didn't fade. Kitsuma didn't wake up, and he slid him onto the mattress as he got up to start his breakfast.

He yawned and scratched at his head and lower back as he staggered out into the kitchen. After a few stretches, he popped his back and grinned.

A small knock caught his attention and he looked out his window to see Kakashi standing outside waving at him.

He opened his door and grinned at his instructor. The man gave him a cheerful smile and waved. "How are you getting along?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's been all right so far." He looked down between his feet to see the kit standing between his legs. He yipped up at the Jounin and got a cheerful smile in return. Kitsuma ran in circles, seeming to chase his own tails.

"Well, he's quite energetic." Kakashi squatted down and scratched behind Kitsuma's ears.

"Yeah. I was up a little late with him last night." Naruto seemed pleased and his son was enjoying the attention. "It's a little weird though."

Kakashi gave a nod. "Yes."

Naruto stretched his arms. "What's up? I need to get dressed before I can train."

His instructor shook his head. "I'm afraid I won't be training with you. I've got something else to take care of. I've called in a favor though, and arranged for someone to help you with your training."

Naruto seemed a little surprised as Ken and Ryu appeared behind the man. "Hello." Both of them seemed pleased to see him.

"Hey. What's up?" The blond nin grinned and nodded at them. Kakashi wasn't surprised at their appearance.

Ken shrugged. "Nothing much. We've moved into a place just up the road."

Ryu nodded. "Yes. We've met with the Hokage. We're staying in the village now."

Kakashi glanced back at them. "I'd heard about that. Everything is going well I hope?"

The pair nodded and ken spoke up again. "Yes. It's much better than sleeping in the woods at any rate."

Naruto seemed surprised. "Oh. You're staying in Konoha now?"

Ryu nodded. "Yes. We've agreed to keep watch over your son while you're taking care of your other duties. You're still a ninja of Konoha after all. You won't be able to take him with you on missions. That would put him in danger, and you won't be able to remain a Ninja if you're forced to stay here and care for him all the time."

Ken seemed pleased with the situation. "Yes. He'll be in good hands. Don't worry."

Naruto looked down at the kit and gave him a warm smile. "Huh? I guess you're right. I appreciate it. Take good care of him."

The pair spoke up together. "We give you our word."

He lifted the kit into his arms and nodded. "All right. I feel better, I was worried about what I was going to do with him when I started taking missions again."

Ken slapped him on the shoulder. "Yes. You don't have to worry. At the first sign of trouble, we'll vanish with him. We'll take care of him while you finish that exam of yours. He should be all right with you while you train though."

Ryu nodded. "Yes. We've made arrangements so that we'll be informed when you're given a mission. Just drop him off at our place, one of us should be there. We'll know ahead of time." He handed him a sheet of paper with the address with a key to the home on top of it.

The boy grinned and nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Ken chuckled. "Just do us proud, and take care of your duty."

Naruto looked over at Kakashi as the pair walked off. "What's this about training? You've got a mission or something?"

The man nodded. "Something like that."

Another man walked up. Naruto knew him, he was a tall thin Jounin with a round pair of sunglasses resting on his nose. "Yes. I'll be helping you with your training."

Naruto seemed surprised. "Hey. The closet pervert? He's gonna train me?"

Ebisu growled and rushed up to put his hand over the boy's mouth. Naruto was amused at the reaction and didn't bother dodging. "Quiet about that! I'll treat you to anything you want later!"

Kakashi looked at the man. "He's a closet pervert?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. "You'd better."

Ebisu patted him on the head. "We go way back. Heh heh." He looked a little uncomfortable.

Naruto frowned. "Yeah, whatever. What are we doing?"

The man looked down at him. "Well, to put it simply. You're not the same as you were before." He looked at the kit and pointed at it with his finger. Kitsuma chomped down on the end of his finger and the man winced a little. "Because of him, and well, to put it bluntly, your wife."

Kakashi gave a nod and turned to leave. "I'll leave you in his care. He's an Elite Tutor, he'll be able to help you in what you need more than even I could. Don't worry."

The boy nodded and gave his son an approving scratch behind his ears as Ebisu shook his finger. "Right." He gave a small sigh.

Ebisu agreed. "You've lost a lot of chakra because the Kyuubi has left you. You've still got a great deal of stamina, but I'm willing to bet you've lost a bit there as well."

Naruto looked up at him and shrugged. "Yeah. I didn't use that much to begin with though. I've always trained to minimize chakra use. It helps me with being stealthy."

The man nodded. "I assumed something like that. Still, you've got poor control."

Uzumaki gave a small sigh. "Yeah. I can still make a hundred Shadow Clones with no problems though. I've got plenty."

Ebisu shrugged. "Yes, but you're not efficient about your chakra use. You'll tire out easier, and you still use more energy than you really need to." He waved his hand and motioned for him to follow. "Come on."

OooOOooOO

Kabuto frowned as he stood in the crowded market. He had his hands in his pockets and was leaning against a wall with a bento in his hands eating a meal in a lazy manner. "The Uzumaki boy isn't dead. Uchiha didn't slip by us, he's made it to the finals with his team."

"That's impossible." Orochimaru was hidden in an alley out of sight. He was in the shadows behind a brick wall.

The gray haired Genin spy nodded. "Yeah. Well, it's true. I saw it with my own eyes. It gets better though."

Orochimaru frowned and didn't reply.

Kabuto continued. "Turns out you released the Kyuubi when you almost killed him. He survived even that, and formed a contract with it. The Hokage told everyone it was your plan to release the Demon Fox on the village by killing him."

His master hung his head a little. "Interesting."

The spy nodded once. "Yeah. Naruto Uzumaki, is the Fox Demon's husband, and they've got a son."

The evil Sannin chuckled. "Poor kid."

Kabuto nodded. "I do kind of feel sorry for him. That's not the best part."

Orochimaru paused. "Well?"

"The terms of the contract aren't just marriage. The Kyuubi gave him their son. He's got to protect him, if the kid is killed, she'll destroy Konoha. This time, the Fourth won't be around to save them."

His master grinned. "I see. This kid?"

"It's a fox kit with nine tails. Doesn't even look human." Kabuto grinned. "Very interesting problem for the kid."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Well, that will be useful later. For now, we'll let the situation lie. It won't do to have the mother show up before I've gotten what I want. For now, we'll stick to the plan we've got. Still, I'm sure I can make use of this when the time comes."

"What about Sasuke?"

"We'll deal with that soon enough. The situation right now is too delicate to tamper with him yet." Orochimaru chuckled. "Still, it wasn't really my plan, but now. Not a bad idea. We'll save that for later."

Kabuto stood up and finished his bento. "Well, I've got to be going. Wouldn't do to call attention to myself and cause trouble."

OooOOooOO

Ebisu was standing in the middle of a hot springs with Naruto. "You've still got far more stamina than anyone else I know of in Konoha. That will serve you well in the future. For now though, we'll be focusing on your control of how much chakra you're using."

The boy nodded. "So, you'll be teaching me how to measure out how much I need then?"

His instructor gave a smirk and nodded. "That's right."

Naruto looked around. "Are we gonna get a bath or something first? Do I have to be clean for this training for some reason?"

Ebisu shook his head. "No. We'll be training here." He looked at the boy and pointed his finger up. "You seem to understand enough. It will be easier if I just show you." He stepped onto the hot spring and stayed on top of the water. "You see? You've got to release just the right amount of chakra to keep yourself afloat. You've got to match your weight to stay afloat on top of the water."

Kitsuma yipped as the boy took him out of his hood. "Oh. I think I get it." He took off his clothes and kept his scarf over his face and his shorts on. After a moment, there were ten of him standing about in front of the instructor.

Ebisu frowned. "Hey. What are you doing?"

Naruto looked up at him. "Well, I don't think I can fit any more of me on that hot spring." Each one moved about the spring and picked up a different sized rock. They varied in size, but none of them picked up one that they needed to strain to carry.

The Jounin frowned. "What? What are you talking about? You only need one of..."

Naruto chuckled. "Nah. Look, it's kind of a trade secret of Team Seven, but...I'll tell you. If I train with ten clones for one day, it's the same thing as ten days of training for just one of me."

Ebisu looked a bit shocked. "What? That's..." He paused. "That makes sense now that I think about it."

Naruto started trying to walk on top of the water. He created ten splashes, and looked very uncomfortable.

Ebisu squatted down beside him and grinned. "Oh yes. By the way, the water is very hot. If you fall in, you'll become a boiled egg."

There was an extra clone sitting nearby watching with the fox kit in his lap. He grinned as he watched his clones fumble about and crawl out of the spring, each one doing the same thing again, over and over.

Ebisu walked over to the extra clone's side. "What's with the rocks?"

The boy looked up at him. "Huh? That way they all weigh a different amount. It makes sense doesn't it?"

The man nodded. He looked over at the pool to watch the boy work. His mind went back to recent training with Konohamaru. The boy had become much more focused, and had stopped rushing about and attacking his grandfather. Something the boy had said to him entered his mind. "There aren't going to be any shortcuts! Naruto Bro told me that!" He looked down at the clone holding the nine tailed kit and gave a smirk Naruto couldn't see as he thought about the Hokage's words in the Hall in front of the village. "There are those among you who have treated him with hatred and disgust his whole life, yet he was willing to give up his own life to save every one of you!"

He turned to watch the boy's training and felt a little shame as he thought about it. "I was wrong about him. Hokage is correct, and he has become a great Ninja."

OooOOooOO

About two hours later, Ebisu was looking impressed. Naruto was running or walking, sloshing about the hot water, knee deep or ankle deep in the spring. Each one holding a different sized stone. "Amazing," he thought to himself. "Already he's getting the hang of this."

He looked at his student. "It's easier if you just stand in place."

The clone next to him shrugged. "The easy way isn't always best." He didn't say anything, but knew he could easily stand on top of the water by that point. He was taking to it the same way he'd taken to the tree climbing training. Putting the right level of chakra out as his feet touched the surface of the water, and then making it vanish as he lost contact with his feet. His clones were also trading rocks, and moving at different speeds.

Naruto looked over the man's shoulder as Ebisu looked on at his other clones. "Hey..."

A man with long white hair was sitting on top of the fence. He was peering into the women's bath. Ebisu jumped to his feet. "What the? I don't know who you are, but...I won't forgive such shameless behavior!"

A moment later, the stranger was laughing at Ebisu on top of a giant toad. The man was out cold on the ground. He stopped laughing as he felt something sharp poking him in the back. The boy who was training nearby was right behind him with a sword pointed at his back.

Naruto had vanished from the hot spring. "You know. That guy was supposed to be helping me with my training you know. I'd kill you, but...I guess I should ask who you are, and what you think you're doing first."

The white haired man in kabuki makeup was looking over his shoulder with an odd expression on his face. He jumped off his frog and grinned. "Thanks for asking! I'm Mt. Myobokugama's holy Sennin, known as the Toad Sennin! Remember it!" He jabbed his finger at the boy's face and found a tiny sharp set of teeth latched onto the end of his finger.

The weird pervert seemed to freeze up and jerked his hand back. "Ouch! What the?"

The little fox kit on the boy's shoulder at him and opened it's mouth wide revealing tiny sharp teeth as it hissed at him. "We're not impressed, are we Kitsuma?" The kit yipped from his shoulder.

The man frowned at him. "Look kid." He shook off his finger and sucked on it for a moment.

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms. "He was supposed to train me. Look what you did to him you perverted jerk!"

The man glared at the boy. "Someone as young as you wouldn't understand. He interrupted my work! I'm a writer! I was working on my latest novel! This!" He held up a copy of 'Come Come Paradise'.

Naruto blinked. "Hey. You wrote that?"

The pervert nodded and looked pleased. "That's right! You've heard of it!"

The blond nin nodded. "Yeah. I read it. It would have been better if you didn't put so much sex into it. I mean, I got the scenes in chapter four, nine, and fourteen, but the rest of them were just gratuitous and distracted from the story. You overdid it. It would have meant more without the rest of them. You've got no sense of romantic tension. The two main characters had a good and interesting relationship, and the one in chapter nine gave the story a sense of tension and a little tragedy, but the sex scenes and peeping in chapters two, seven, eight, twelve, fifteen, and nineteen just sort of made it all meaningless. It makes everyone out to be some sort of sex crazed emotionless sluts. You really killed all the dramatic tension and shot yourself in the foot."

The man frowned and looked at the book. "Well, maybe the one in fifteen was a bit much." He paused and frowned. "Hey! Wait a minute! You're not old enough to appreciate this anyway! Who asked you?"

The boy turned his nose up. "You brought it up." He glanced at the man from the corners of his eye. "Besides. How does peeping help you write that stuff anyway?"

The man was angry. "You punk! Peeping inspires me to write better!"

The boy shook his head. "You'd write better if you weren't such a pervert. It was good until you overdid it and turned everyone in the book into a shallow sex addict. Not that a perverted old man like you could get any anyway. That's why you peep, cause no attractive woman will talk to you unless you pay them for it."

The man growled. "You little..."

"You're lame. What about my training? You disruptive old perverted fart." Another Naruto was sitting on the rail next to the man and poking him in the shoulder with his finger.

The man frowned. "What? You mean water walking?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. You know about that then? Seeing as I've got an important exam coming up, and you've made my instructor useless..."

The man frowned. "No way. I only like women."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, I guess you're useless anyway. I mean, how great can you be. Sitting around in plain sight, just asking to get caught. Not a very good Ninja. We're supposed to be silent and sneaky anyway. What would this idiot know about that?" He scratched his son between his ears as he talked to him in a cheerful tone. "Right, Kitsuma?"

The kit was quite pleased and licked him on the face.

"What would you know about it brat!?" The pervert jabbed his finger towards him.

A cute girlish voice called out from behind him. "There he is! That peeping jerk! Get him!"

A very large group of angry women loomed around the pervert. "Huh? What the?" The girl leading the group of towel clad women had two blond ponytails and a curvy sexy body.

A few moments later the pervert was beaten to a pulp and laid out on the ground in front of the blond with ponytails again. The rest of the women had cleared off, leaving nothing to peep. The man looked up at her. "What did I ever do to you anyway?"

She giggled and turned into the blond boy. "Heh. You screwed with my training."

The man went wide eyed. "Hey. Some sort of Jutsu? I'll tell you what, I'll train you, but you must always look like that in my presence."

Naruto chuckled as his clone vanished. "No way. You pervert. I don't want Kitsuma to learn to be a dirty perverted Sennin like you anyway. He's still a kid, and I wouldn't want your perversion to rub off on him."

The Sennin was on his feet in a moment. "I'm not a pervert! I'm a Super Pervert!"

The boy's face fell. "Whatever."

The pervert chuckled. "I'm just joking. I like you. That was genius." He leaned back against the railing on a small wooden bridge nearby. "Just keep doing what you were doing, and I'll look after your training."

Naruto gave a small sigh and looked down at Ebisu. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing." He created several clones and they all picked up rocks and started walking on the water. After a few moments, they started to sink a little, but none of them were sinking below their knees.

The man gasped as he looked on. "Huh? This kid is?" He looked down at the boy with the fox kit curled up around his neck half hidden by his scarf beside him. "Hey kid. Who are you anyway?"

The blond nin looked up at him. "Uzumaki Naruto."

The stranger frowned. "Hey. Break that jutsu and come over here." The boy did as he was asked and stood in front of the man. "Hey...where?" He was looking at the boy's belly. "You're not Uzumak..." His eyes went wide as he looked on the boy's shoulder. The animal was wagging it's tails and gave him a cheerful yip. "Huh?"

Naruto frowned. "Yer lookin for the seal?" He put some distance between them and frowned as he cradled the fox kit in his arm.

The man stood up and scratched the back of his head. "You mean?"

The boy shrugged. "It's gone. Look, who the heck are you anyway?"

The white haired Sennin frowned and nodded. "I-I see. Tell you what kid. I'll give you some training. I've got a technique I could show you. I've got some things to do today first though. Meet me here tomorrow."

Naruto gave him a suspicious frown. "Huh?"

The man grinned at him. "You remind me of someone. I like you. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find it useful." He turned and walked away towards the exit.

Naruto put the kit on his shoulder and gave a small sigh. "All right I guess." He'd show up, but he was thinking he should let Ken and Ryu watch his son until he figured out who that guy was and what he wanted.

The Sennin looked over his shoulder and frowned. "That was Uzumaki. There's no mistaking it. What happened? What's going on here? I'll have to talk with that Ebisu later. I'd rather Sarutobi didn't know I was here. This is...interesting." Konoha was a lot calmer than it should have been considering. He needed to find out more about what was going on. What he'd just seen was impossible.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Perverted Sennin's training.


	14. Chapter 14

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 14

Training begins!

OooOOooOO

Sakura Haruno frowned at the target in front of her. There were a dozen kunai embedded around it. Her aim was good, but only about four were close to the center, and four of them missed and embedded themselves in the trunk of the tree the target was hanging from. The kunoichi had sweat on her brow as she walked up and pulled the weapons free of the practice target. She wiped her arm across her forehead and started placing them back into the two bandoleers on each of her thighs.

She paused as she noticed someone watching her with a smirk on her face. "Oh. Hello."

Anko, the examiner for the second test was leaning against one of the trees around the practice range. "Hey. You're Haruno Sakura? One of Kakashi's team?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. You're Anko. You were the examiner for the second test?"

The woman seemed pleased. "Yes. That's right!"

Sakura seemed a bit uncomfortable and surprised as the woman raised her voice in a cheerful manner. "Um, yeah."

The Jounin walked up to her side. "Hey. You know that Uzumaki kid, right?"

The girl got a little cautious. "Yes. He's on my team."

The woman gave a chuckle. "Well, you're a quiet one." She walked over to her side. "You're snapping your wrist too hard when you throw those. Look." Anko tossed four kunai, her wrist moved in a more fluid motion and four of them were embedded in the center of the target in a tight cluster. "You're putting more force into your throw than you need too."

The girl flushed a bit and nodded. "Oh. Thank you. I see." She tried it again herself and each toss improved a little more.

Anko seemed pleased. "Hey. You're a fast learner. That's good."

"Yes. I've got to train, but it seems Kakashi sensei left. No one knows where Sasuke is, and, well...Naruto..."

The woman arched her eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Well, he disappears all the time anyway. I guess I'm on my own." She didn't seem upset about that fact and pulled the kunai out of the target, handing the Jounin's kunai back to her.

Anko shrugged. "Yeah. Hey, I'll help you out. I'd like you to talk with you about Uzumaki a bit anyway."

The girl looked surprised. "Huh? Naruto?"

The woman nodded. "A boy like him will end up in the ANBU, he might not become a Chunin this time, but...sooner or later, he'll end up working with me. I'm pretty sure."

The young kunoichi seemed to think on it. "He said something like that before."

The Jounin gave a smirk. "Oh?"

Sakura nodded. "Once we were talking while we were on a mission. He said he thought he'll end up in the ANBU. I guess I can see what he means."

Anko nodded. "He seems pretty clever."

Haruno nodded. "Yeah."

Mitarashi chuckled at her expression. "You were at the meeting?"

Sakura looked at the target again. "All of us were, Kakashi sensei, Sasuke..."

The woman was very relaxed. "So, what do you think of it all?"

The girl looked up at her. "I...I'm not sure. I believe in him. He's a great guy, a good leader. His...son..." She smiled. "He's cute. It's a little weird though, I was petting him, it's almost like a dog. I'm not sure what to think about that. Married to that thing..." She shuddered. "I wish I could help him. It must be awful. He's really protective of Kitsuma though. It was a bit strange seeing them together."

Anko nodded. "Having a child can change a person."

Sakura looked up at her. "Like killing someone?" It was a direct question, and she didn't look nervous or pensive about it.

Mitarashi looked surprised. "Well, yes and no. I don't have any children, so I guess I can't say for sure. Still, I'm pretty sure it's very different."

The girl tossed a few more kunai. "Yes. You're curious about Naruto because you already know don't you?"

Anko looked down at the girl from the corner of her eyes. "Huh? What do you mean?"

The pink haired girl looked up at her. "There's no way he's not going to pass this exam. I think you're just waiting on him to finish. That's why you're here."

Anko gave a chuckle. "You might be surprised. The last test is the most important, and the most difficult."

The young kunoichi shook her head. "I doubt it. We've been taking B ranked missions, they're teaching that book of his at the academy, and after that second test...there's no way he's gonna fail. I bet you know that. Why else would you show up? No one knows where Kakashi, Sasuke, or Naruto are. I'm the easiest one to find if you want to know about him. Even I can't tell you that much, he doesn't talk a lot."

Anko gave a nod. "Well, even if it's true, I'm afraid I couldn't say. You're not very close?"

The girl gave a shrug. "Well, in some ways he's one of my best friends. Sasuke really is best friends with him, but they act like they hate each other...sort of. You can tell they aren't being serious. I like him, I trust him, but...I don't know him all that well. I don't think anyone does really."

Mitarashi gave a nod. "I know what you mean. I think you know him better than you think."

Sakura frowned for a moment. "Maybe."

Anko put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Come on. We'll get some work done. My duties in the exams are over, I'll meet with you and help you out for a while. I'm pretty sure I won't be getting any missions until the exam is over. I've still got to show up for the rest of it, but I'm not involved with the third test outside of that." She clicked her tongue. "All of us examiners have to show up and just stand around. It's kind of annoying once your job is done."

Sakura flushed a bit. "I'd like that, thank you. I'm kind of stuck on my own."

OooOOooOO

Ebisu was sitting on a wall with the white haired perverted Sennin. Both of them looked serious. The Sennin spoke up and looked at the Jounin. "Sorry about taking your student."

Ebisu shook his head. "Not at all. No one expected you to be here. Hokage has been looking for you for a long time. Is it because of Orochimaru?"

The Sennin frowned. "No. That's not it."

The Jounin frowned at him. "Jiraiya! Against one of the three we need your strength!"

The white haired nin frowned. "Forget about it. I've no interest in becoming involved with that. The Hokage will do well enough. I've got a more important matter to discuss with you."

Ebisu looked a little shocked. "M-more important?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. What happened to Uzumaki Naruto? The seal is gone, and he's got...a..."

The Jounin pushed his glasses up his nose. "Oh...that."

The Sennin nodded. "Yes. From what I've seen, Konoha seems aware the seal is gone. That would cause panic and worry, but..."

Ebisu gave a heavy sigh. "It's a shame really. Naruto has become a tragic hero of Konoha."

Jiraiya looked a bit wide eyed. "Huh?"

The Jounin looked at the man. "I don't know all the details. I can only tell you what the Hokage told the village. Orochimaru attempted to kill Naruto in order to release the Kyuubi. He succeeded, but Naruto was able to form a contract with the Fox Demon."

The Sennin looked shocked. "What sort of contract?"

Ebisu hung his head and looked a bit saddened. "He married her, and conceived a son with her."

Jiraiya's eyes went very wide. "You mean that vicious little finger eating monster?"

The Jounin nodded. "Yes. That is Naruto's son."

The Sennin went a little pale. "He...had sex with it?"

The man pushed his glasses up his nose. "Come on now. Even I know it doesn't work that way with demons."

The kabuki clad man seemed to relax a little. "Unfortunate eh? The Kyuubi married him? Really?"

"Those were the Hokage's words. He gave a great sacrifice, to save the village. Most see him as a hero."

Jiraiya frowned. "Tragic indeed. That lucky brat."

Ebisu looked shocked. "Huh?"

The Sennin chuckled. "How many Kitsune have you met?"

The Jounin flushed. "Well, none, but..."

Jiraiya shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's not important. He's not as unfortunate as you seem to think. Where is she?"

The nin shrugged. "I'm not sure. She seems to have vanished."

The Sennin nodded. "Having that child probably took a lot out of her. Especially considering he was born with nine tails. That's kind of unheard of, even among Kitsune."

Ebisu narrowed his eyes a little. "What do you mean?"

Jiraiya glanced at him with a smirk on his face. "Most Kitsune are born with one tail, they get another every hundred years or so, as their power grows. I'd never seen one with more than four myself. I've never seen one that young with even two tails."

The Jounin seemed a little nervous. "What does that mean?"

The Sennin chuckled. "Nothing really. The Kyuubi is the ruler of Kitsune, the Fox Demon Queen. As I'm sure this village knows well first hand, she's not your average Kitsune. She's their god, and rules over the Fox Realm in the land of Shadows."

Ebisu looked shocked. "So, that makes Uzumaki..."

Jiraiya shrugged. "I'm not sure if it means anything, but yes. Technically, he's the King of Kitsune, and his son is their Prince. That doesn't mean they'll listen to him, she's in charge after all. She's not known for sharing power, or being particularly kind. Still, if she chose him as her mate...that's...wow. Lucky brat."

The Jounin frowned at him. "Doesn't sound so lucky to me."

The kabuki clad man shrugged. "Don't worry about it. He's not as bad off as you think. I've got to be going now. I'll see you around."

Ebisu gave a heavy sigh and seemed a bit annoyed. "The Fox King? That kid?" He shook his head. "Well, like he said, it doesn't mean anything anyway. I still feel sorry for him. Married to that demon."

OooOOooOO

"Uzumaki?" The Hokage was just about to leave his office and frowned at the boy who appeared in the hall outside in front of him.

"I've got something I need to talk with you about." The blond nin looked over his shoulder after saying it.

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and opened the door. "All right. I was just about to leave for the night. Come inside."

The young Genin nodded. "I don't think it will take long." He walked in behind him. The old man leaned on his desk and gave him a small frown. The boy looked serious.

"What is it?"

Naruto looked up at him. "What do you know about this Kabuto Yakushi?"

The Hokage seemed surprised. "Huh? What do you mean?"

The boy crossed his arms. "I ran into him during the exams. Something isn't right about him. I've only got suspicions so far. He's got too much information."

The old man nodded and lit his pipe. "How so?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, he had these cards in the first exam. He claimed he gathered the information on them through the exams, but it had our records on them, mission history, sensitive information that he wouldn't be able to learn just observing people in the exams. He knew how many from each country were going to be present before he walked into the room. It was more than just good intelligence gathering. I thought he might have been some sort of plant for the exams at first..."

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe and narrowed his eyes. "I see. That's not the only thing is it?"

Naruto shook his head. "He was surprised to see me in the Hall when you told everyone about the contract. More than he should have been. As if...he thought I should be dead."

The old man gave a serious nod. "Well, why would that be odd?"

The hooded nin looked towards the window. "At the time, the only people who might have known about Orochimaru trying to kill me, were those Sound nin, Orochimaru, my teammates, you, Anko, and Kakashi sensei."

Sarutobi nodded. "I think I understand."

Naruto looked at the ground. "I've got no real evidence. I'm pretty sure that guy is a spy though. I can't prove it, but I thought I should tell you. I'm sure those Sound nin are Orochimaru's, but I'm betting that Kabuto is one of them too. He knows too much, and unless he's working as a plant in the exam or the ANBU as a Genin."

The Hokage had moved over to a filing cabinet, and pulled out a record. He flipped through it and frowned. "I'm afraid our records indicate he's nothing more than a rather unremarkable Genin. He's got no more than a C ranked mission, and he's failed the Chunin Exam seven times now."

The boy nodded. "There's something not right about him. I'm afraid that's all I have."

Sarutobi nodded as he closed the records. "I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Might I ask why you said nothing sooner?"

Naruto looked at him. "I wasn't sure if he wasn't some sort of plant, or working for the ANBU. If he was, I didn't want to blow his cover. I was kind of hoping he was, but...if he's not working for Konoha, he's working for someone else. I'm sure of it. I suspect that Orochimaru guy, but...that's just speculation right now."

The Hokage puffed on his pipe and set the records down. "Well. I'll have someone look into it. I'd prefer if you focus on your training for the exams. If you happen across any other information let me know, but for now, let me handle it. I don't want you chasing after him. You've got other concerns."

Naruto nodded. The Hokage noticed a muzzle poke out of his shirt. He spoke up to the man. "Yeah. Well, if I'm right, then that Orochimaru or someone else who's interested in spying on us knows about Kitsuma, and what will happen if he gets hurt."

The old man nodded. "Yes. The thought had crossed my mind."

Naruto scratched at the kit's ears. "Well, that's all I wanted to say." He turned to leave and the old man said nothing.

He stayed seated on his desk and glared at the wall with his fist on his chin. "This could be a problem." He stood up and walked out of the room. It seemed he wasn't going home just yet after all.

OooOOooOO

Kabuto stood next to the Sand nin team instructor in the moonlight. "Hmmm. I'm starting to worry a little, keeping my cover has grown difficult over the past few days. I'm not compromised, but..."

The Sand nin's instructor nodded. "I see. Then we are at risk?"

The gray haired nin shook his head. "Relax, Baki. We're no more at risk than we were before. Things have grown more difficult, but...there's no danger to the plan. Here it is by the way." He handed off a scroll to the man at his side.

The man took the scroll and frowned. "Yes. We'll remain hidden until the end."

Kabuto nodded. "Yes. I see what you mean. I'll take care of it myself. It's just one rat." His eyes shifted.

Hayate froze. The nin who had explained the rules of the third test to the nin was hiding around a nearby corner, and seemed to realize he'd been caught.

Baki chuckled. "No. I'll take care of it. As a partner, the Sand should do something as well." He vanished, and Hayate with him.

Kabuto chuckled. "Heh. I suppose it's time I left. If the Leaf have someone tailing me, then..." He looked up at the moon. "I suppose I can't return to my post again." He frowned. "Must have been Naruto. I should have expected, he spotted me in that hall. I let my surprise get the best of me. Oh well. I wouldn't have been able to remain hidden for long anyway. It's almost time for this to end." He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking away. He looked over his shoulder and smirked. Hayate was dead, and Baki was moving away.

OooOOooOO

Naruto stood before the man he had agreed to meet with for training. "Jiraiya?"

The white haired Sennin nodded. "Yes. That's right. I've heard about what happened to you."

The boy gave a nod and looked a bit sullen. "Yeah."

His new instructor chuckled. "Kid, you're luckier than you think. Come on."

Uzumaki got a bit wide eyed. "Lucky? I married a demon."

The man nodded. "I guess I see your point. Still, it's not so bad." He motioned for the boy to follow him and they moved off.

A short time later, the pair found themselves near a waterfall. Naruto looked around. "So, what sort of training is this anyway?"

The man looked him up and down. "Well. Now that your wife has run off, you're not as powerful as you were. You've lost a great deal of chakra, but you've still got a lot of stamina. I had a talk with Ebisu about you last night."

His student nodded. "Oh." He was feeling better about the man, and wasn't as suspicious as he'd been the day before.

Jiraiya was looking through the bushes near the edge of the clearing. "Great view."

Naruto looked over his shoulder and frowned. There was a group of women in bathing suits playing and splashing about in a nearby waterfall. "Yeah. Great. What are we doing again?"

The man patted his head. "Well, first, show me your chakra. I want you to let it build up inside you."

The boy looked surprised. "Huh?"

Jiraiya slapped him on the shoulder. "I need to know how much you've got. That way, I can understand what you're capable of learning."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. "I usually don't do this." After a moment, he'd unsealed his chakra and let it flow through his body. "Feels weird."

The man looked at him and seemed to think. "Well, you've got more than I expected. It should work. You've got a ton of stamina, more than I do I'd say. You can create more chakra than most people."

Naruto frowned and seemed to think about it. "I can make about a hundred shadow clones. I used to be able to do a lot more, but...ever since she left..." He looked up at the man and had a very serious air about him. "I usually only make about ten for training. I use even less when I'm working, five or six is usually enough."

The Sennin nodded. "Well, that should do. Quite impressive. Most nin could only make two or three at a time. It's not a common technique."

His student looked down at the ground. "I guess." His chakra vanished.

Jiraiya grunted. "Well, you're certainly good at conserving it. I imagine that water walking training did you some good. You should be able to use less to make a clone than you did before."

Naruto nodded and looked up at him. "Yeah. I did notice that."

The Sennin chuckled. "You're a smart kid. You really do remind me of someone I knew a long time ago." He took a step back. "Here. I'll show you what I'll teach you." He cut his thumb on his teeth and put his hand on the ground after making a few hand seals. "Summoning no jutsu!" A moment later, he was on top of a large toad. The animal had a scroll in it's mouth and used it's tongue to push it into Naruto's hands.

The Uzumaki boy looked at it in confusion. "What's this?" He rolled it out onto the ground and went rather pale.

Jiraiya chuckled. "This is the contract with the toads that's been passed down through many generations. You write your name in blood, and then put your hand print underneath it in blood."

The boy jumped away from it, fell on his rear, and scrambled back away from it. "N-no way!"

The Sennin looked confused. "Huh? What? Are you squeamish? It's just a little nick, I'm sure you've had worse if you've managed to get through enough training to make it to the final round of the Chunin Exams."

The boy looked up at him with wide eyes. "I can't sign that! No contracts! No way!"

The man rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's not a marriage contract. Don't worry."

The boy shook his head. "No. No contracts. I'm not allowed." He'd calmed and dusted off his knees.

Jiraiya frowned. "Huh? Not allowed? What do you mean?"

Naruto looked down at the scroll. "It's part of the deal I made. No contracts, not with anyone. I can't sign this, really. It would be really bad, not just for me either."

The Sennin seemed to think as he put his hand under his chin. "Oh. I get it. Well, that changes things. Hmmm."

His student seemed annoyed. "Besides. Why would I want to summon a giant toad? I'm all about not being seen. It's kind of hard to not notice that."

The white haired Sennin sat down and crossed his legs while peering out at the girls in the waterfall. "What should we do then? There's a lot I can teach you." He stared at the women muttering to himself. "Rasengan? No, not enough time. You've only got a month and...hmmm..."

Naruto gave a small shrug. "How much time would I need?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Four years, easy."

The boy seemed to think. "Well, how about I make a hundred clones then?"

The man looked back over his shoulder. "No. Well, it's not a bad idea, but it takes too much chakra for you to train with that many. It's an advanced technique anyway, you've only just learned water walking, and you've not mastered that yet."

Uzumaki chuckled. "Sure I have. I've got a different way about doing things though."

The Sennin looked over his shoulder. "Huh? What do you mean?"

The boy gave a small sigh. "All right. You can sense chakra right?"

Jiraiya looked annoyed. "Of course! I'm the Toad Sennin."

The boy glanced over his shoulder at the pool. "All right. Watch my feet closely." He stepped out over the water and walked across it.

The Sennin frowned as he watched the boy move across the water with no difficulty. After a moment, his features went a little slack. "Hey. What are you doing?"

The blond nin stepped off the surface of the pool and lifted his foot up to show him the bottom. "I only use chakra when my feet touch the surface of the water. As soon as they lose contact with the surface, I seal it up, and then do it again when it touches the surface again." He stepped on the water and nodded towards a small pile of stones near to Jiraiya. "Toss me a couple of those rocks. Don't try and knock me off my feet with em."

The man did so, the stones were of varying size. The boy caught them, and it didn't disrupt his balance or break the jutsu. He kept walking, and tossed them aside as he caught the different sized stones after taking a few steps with each one.

His instructor chuckled. "I get it. You're more advanced than that Ebisu thought." He ran up and jumped at the boy.

Naruto was haunched over with Jiraiya crouched on his back just behind his neck. The man was grinning as the boy staggered to the edge of the pool and stepped back onto the ground without sinking even an inch.

The Sennin chuckled as he hopped back on the ground. "Well, you're better off than I thought."

"So, what's this Rasengan thing anyway? If it doesn't involve a contract, I can do it in a month no problem." The boy seemed confident.

The man gave a chuckle. "No. Not yet. You're more advanced than I'd thought, but...I've got just the thing for you." He winked at the boy. "The hand seals are Horse, Snake, Dog. Transparent Escape Jutsu!" The man performed the seals and vanished.

Naruto got a bit wide eyed. "Huh?" He crouched a little and glanced about. "What the?" A moment later he hopped up and grinned. "Heh." He landed and shoved his hand out. The pool of water gave a large splash and Naruto was squatting on the edge looking down at the irate and wet Jiraiya. "Heh. Cool. An invisibility Jutsu?"

The man sat up and frowned at him. "How did you know where I was?"

The boy chuckled. "You make too much noise when you walk."

The man frowned. "I see. It's a cloak of invisibility."

"Yeah. Cool." The boy looked pleased. "I can learn that?"

The man crawled out of the water. "I don't see any reason why not."

The boy looked pleased. "Neat! That's my kind of jutsu!"

Jiraiya nodded and leaned in towards him. "I had a feeling you might say that. It's got limits though."

Naruto nodded. "Like what?"

"It's for spying, not fighting. You won't be able to attack anyone while invisible." The man grinned at the boy. "It takes a lot of concentration as well."

His student looked pleased. "How does it work?"

The Sennin smiled. "It distorts the light around you using your chakra."

The blond nin seemed to think about that. "I see. So it won't work against nin that can see or sense chakra?"

His instructor looked impressed. "Not up close. At a distance, it disperses and distorts your chakra enough that they won't be able to spot you even with eye jutsu or chakra sensing jutsu. I wouldn't get closer than twenty feet to someone who has an ability like that with it."

Naruto gave a nod. "I wonder if I can work around that somehow?"

Jiraiya frowned. "You've not even learned it yet. Don't get ahead of yourself."

The boy grinned. "All right. Let's get started then." There were ten of him surrounding the man.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: The day draws near...


	15. Chapter 15

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 15

The day draws near...

OooOOooOO

Naruto smirked as he stood in front of Jiraiya. There was only one of him. He looked very gray, and his instructor could see behind him, even though he was still visible.

The Senin nodded. "That's interesting."

His student seemed pleased. "Yeah. I call it the Shadow Fade Jutsu." He lifted his arm and looked at it seeming pleased. "I like the Transparent Escape Jutsu, but it uses a lot of chakra to keep it up. I'm pretty good at staying out of sight to begin with, and this I can use for much longer."

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. I see what you mean." He'd been working with Naruto for two weeks at that point. The boy had learned his technique in two days, and had taken a bit of time to develop it further. "Interesting."

The boy nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty cool. I've still got to break the jutsu to attack. It's not as easy to sense this though. I can get close enough to strike even a chakra sensitive opponent." He blinked out of existence, and reappeared in front of him again in his faded shadowy looking form. "I can switch between them also." He appeared whole and solid again and faded in a split second. "I can do this much faster too. It takes a few seconds to use the full jutsu you showed me."

The boy had figured out a sort of watered down version of the jutsu. "I think I get it." The effect was caused by Naruto partially using the jutsu sort of like a strobe light. He never went full invisible, and didn't hold it. The speed the boy could use and disperse chakra with was a bit unusual. He sat down in front of his student and crossed his legs. "Well, I guess there's not much more I can do with you. I've got nothing I think you might find useful that I can teach you in only two weeks." He looked up at the sky and frowned a bit as he gave a nod. "I guess all I can do now is tell you good luck." The moon was hanging overhead, and it was growing dark.

His student seemed pleased. "Yeah. Thanks, you're a perverted idiot, but you're pretty strong."

Jiraiya frowned at him and growled. "Yeah. Is that supposed to be gratitude?"

Naruto gave a nod. "Well, yes. You've been staring at those girls since we started this. They've been here every day for two weeks. That's a bit odd." One of his clones hopped down from a nearby tree branch and his son jumped out of it's arms and into his own. The kit climbed onto his shoulder and into his hood.

The Senin chuckled. "Well, one shouldn't question such good fortune." He made a fist and seemed near to tears.

Naruto was rubbing Kitsuma's head and looking pleased with him. He'd been a bit fussy and fidgeted a bit over the past week. The kit's muzzle opened and he let out a heavy yawn while curling his tongue up and making a small whining noise. "I guess it is kind of late." It was early in the evening, and the sky was a grayish color as the last bits of orange light vanished over the horizon.

Jiraiya nodded. "Well, I'll be going now. I wish you luck, and I'm sure we'll meet again." He started walking away and nearly bumped into two bikini clad girls with wet hair and smiles on their faces. He got a wide grin on his face. "Oh! Hello!"

The pair looked at him and their grins didn't fade. Neither one said a word and walked right by him.

Naruto blinked in surprise as they shook their hair. One was a redhead with long hair, and the other had short green hair that hung around her face. They pulled at the strings on the back of their bikini's and their tops fell away. The boy was a bit wide eyed and his eyes locked on their rather large young perky breasts. "Huh?" He turned very red and staggered back. "Um...I..."

Kitsuma gave a small light growling whine and cocked his head.

Jiraiya turned with his jaw hanging. "Hey..." His eyes went just as wide as both girls removed their bathing suits. He appeared before them in an instant. "I'm Jiraiya! Famous author and powerful warrior gentleman! This is my prized student Naruto! Would you like an autograph?"

Both women looked to be about nineteen. They frowned at him and the one with short green hair gave him a shove in his chest, sending him into the pool of water on his rear.

Naruto watched this as they walked up and started rubbing on his body. "Hey! I uh...cut that out would you?"

His instructor blinked. "What? What are you saying boy?!" He stood up. "Look, I'll heh...just leave you alone." He dashed into the nearby bushes and didn't leave. It was obvious he was watching from the bushes as his hair was still poking out of the bottom a bit.

Naruto found himself being rubbed down between them as they started kissing him on the cheeks and chest. One of them started to reach into his hood to put her hand behind his neck and he grabbed her wrist. His eyes grew hard and he shoved her away, jumping out of the arms of the other. "What are you doing?"

Jiraiya was getting frustrated. "That idiot! Man, this could have been the crowning jewel of my next book! Get him girls! He's weakening!"

Naruto was facing the two nude girls with a frown on his face after he put a little distance between them. "Who are you anyway?" They were both a little old to be interested in him.

The one on the right with green hair gave a giggle. "I'm Masara."

The redhead started sucking on her finger as she gave him a seductive smile. "I'm Koruma."

Naruto had his hand over his confused looking son's eyes. "What kind of perverts are you anyway! What do you want?"

Kitsuma gave a yip, he was sniffing at the air and had his tails wagging.

The pair put their hands on their hips. "Well, we were trying to seduce you." Koruma giggled.

Masara nodded. "Yeah. We're planning on having sex with you, Boss!"

Naruto had his son in his arms and kept the kit's eyes covered. "Cut it out. There's kids here!"

The women looked at each other and blinked. "Are you sure?" Koruma seemed confused.

Naruto was beet red. "Yes! Put your clothes back on!"

Masara shrugged. "Do we have too, Boss?"

Koruma agreed. "Yeah. It would be lots of fun."

The boy took a moment to think on it, and looked down at Kitsuma. "Man, why'd I have to bring you today?" He hung his head. "What the heck is up with you two anyway?"

The pair of girls vanished, leaving two Kitsune sitting on the ground in front of him. The one on the right, Masara spoke up. "We came to see the prince." He had three tails.

The other fox had four tails and nodded. "Yeah. The Queen sent us to keep an eye on you, Boss!" It looked very pleased.

Naruto looked down at them. "Huh?" His jaw was hanging a bit.

"We've been watching you." Masara seemed cheerful and stood up to walk over to his side and sat down. Koruma followed and nodded.

The four tailed fox chuckled. "You've done good, Boss!"

The other agreed. "Yeah!"

Jiraiya staggered out of the bushes. "Huh? Kitsune?"

Naruto seemed confused. "Um, Boss? Prince? What the heck are you talking about?"

Koruma looked up at him. "Highness told us to come and make sure the King stays out of trouble."

Masara nodded in agreement. "Yes. We're supposed to help teach the prince."

Kitsuma was still in his father's arms. He looked down at the pair and wagged his tails as he gave a few cheerful yips.

Naruto squatted down and kept him in his arms. Both the foxes looked quite pleased and embarrassed.

"The prince is too kind!" Koruma flushed through his fur.

The hooded boy looked a bit ill. "You're both guys?"

The pair seemed surprised. "Well, we're Kitsune. It doesn't matter much to us." Masara stood up and wagged his tails.

Koruma nodded. "We'll still have sex with you if you like! We don't mind at all!"

The boy's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at them in silence for a moment before speaking up. "No thanks." He seemed a bit pale.

Jiraiya stood behind his student and looked down at the two creatures. "Well, if you're not interested. I suppose I wouldn't mind."

"Hey! Quit bein such a pervert in front of my son!" Naruto was getting a little upset.

The Senin grinned. "Huh? Well, we can go somewhere more private...heh..." He grabbed at the air with his fingers.

The two kitsune looked at each other and back up at him. Masara looked annoyed. "Hey. You can leave now you know. We're here to see the Boss and the prince."

"Boss? Prince? What the heck are you talking about?" Uzumaki sat down in front of the pair and put Kitsuma on his lap and stroked at him.

Jiraiya was hanging his head. He looked at his student and squatted down beside him with a serious look on his face. "You're the King of Kitsune. The Kyuubi is their Queen, and this is her son."

The boy looked up at him with wide eyes. "Huh? Me?"

Koruma seemed pleased and let his tongue hang out. "Yes. That's right!"

Naruto frowned at them. "Won't she be mad at you for hittin on me like that?"

Both animals burst into laughter, Jiraiya chuckled along with them.

The nin flushed again. "What's so funny?"

Masara looked away from the pair. "Nothing. I guess he is still a kit after all."

Kitsuma looked in the other direction. "Yeah. Still, he is the Boss. Maybe later?"

Naruto looked a little ill. "No way. What are you doin here anyway?"

Masara looked up at him. "We told you. We're here to instruct the prince, and keep an eye on you."

The boy seemed annoyed. "K-keep an eye on me?"

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. We work for the Queen."

Kitsuma crawled off his lap and looked up at the two animals sitting in front of him with his tongue hanging out. He gave a few yips and seemed pleased and unafraid.

Naruto gave a sigh. "Teach him? Teach him what? He's my son."

Masara nodded. "Yes. You're not a Kitsune. He's got to learn how to control his power, or he'll be more trouble than you can handle!"

Koruma was looking down at the kit. "He's very young. There's not much we can do for him yet. Still, in a few months, we'll need to start showing him how to use his power, and show him how to control it. He's very strong."

Jiraiya put his hand on the boy's shoulder and seemed very serious. "Naruto, I suggest you listen to them. Your son has nine tails. That is a sign of power for their kind. He'll be much stronger than either of these two very quickly." He pointed out the tails on the pair before them. "See, this one is about three hundred, he's got three tails, the other is four hundred or so, and has four tails. Kitsune grow a new tail every hundred years or so, and they become stronger with each new tail."

The three tailed fox nodded. "Yes. You don't have the ability to show him or teach him what he must learn from us."

The four tailed fox laid down on the ground in front of the young kit. "Yes. He is one of our kind. We'll be able to show him how to take human form, use his illusions, and do many things. If we don't, well..."

Masara seemed pleased. "It'll be more trouble than you think."

Naruto gave a nod. "I see. All right, I'm gonna be watching you though." He frowned down at the pair. "You're not turning him into some kind of pervert either!"

Koruma chuckled. "It's in our nature to be mischievous. We were just joking. We know you're still a kit."

The hooded nin grumbled. Kitsuma walked around the two foxes and started sniffing about their rears. He looked up at them, and ran a few laps around them while yipping.

Naruto froze and uncrossed his arms. In the woods and trees around him, he saw hundreds of glowing yellow eyes. Foxes of various colors and sizes started walking into the clearing. They sat in a half circle, easily a hundred of them, probably more. "Whoa." Some of them had two or three tails, a few had four or five. Each of them kept their distance from Masara and Koruma, and all hung their heads as they bowed to the cheerful Kit looking about between the two Kitsune.

Kitsuma stood and looked at them all, giving cheerful and playful yips as he looked about the crowd.

Even Jiraiya looked a little nervous. He stayed quiet and looked at the scene in awe.

Naruto stayed still, and kept watch over his son. After several moments, the foxes all started turning back into the woods, vanishing into the shadows, leaving Masara and Koruma behind. "Wow."

The pair looked up at him and Koruma spoke up. "Thank you. We've wanted to see him, but coming to the village can be dangerous for so many of us."

Masara gave a nod. "Yes. We'll leave you for now, but we'll be visiting you later. One or two of us can disguise ourselves and enter the village with no problems. There are many of us who live here though. He is safe in these woods, there are many of us, and none of us will see him harmed."

Uzumaki lifted his son into his arms and nodded. "Yeah. I guess we'll talk about it later. I don't want him running around the woods on his own. Not even with you two yet. He's too small, and I can't let him get hurt. Besides, I don't know you."

Koruma seemed pleased. "Yes. We understand."

Masara turned away and his companion followed after him. "Goodbye, Boss. We'll visit you later."

Jiraiya looked a bit amazed. "Come on. You should head back. I've got places to go myself. We'll meet again."

Naruto stood up and cradled his son. The kit nuzzled into his arm and seemed to fall asleep. "Y-yeah."

After they left the clearing, Jiraiya moved off away from the village, and Naruto started back down the path towards it again.

OooOOooOO

"Hayate was killed?" Anko looked angry and clenched her fist.

The Hokage gave a grave nod. The two council elders sat on either side of him, as a group of jounin sat before him. Kakashi was missing. "Yes. The Genin Kabuto has been uncovered as a spy as well. He's gone missing, I had Hayate tailing him after he came under suspicion. This seems to verify that concern."

Mitarashi gave a grave looking nod. "Kabuto killed him?"

The old man shook his head. "That is unknown, though I suppose it is possible. He may have been killed by another. It is reasonable to assume it though."

"If Orochimaru is involved, then we should cancel the exams." One of the Jounin spoke up and frowned.

Sarutobi shook his head. "I see no reason for that. He revealed himself to Anko, and urged us to continue. He's got enough power to destroy a small country on his own. Plus, he has a grudge against Leaf. Any number of countries would have their eyes set on him. To show fear and weakness in this situation would be a mistake."

Homura frowned. "What of this Kabuto? Do we know who he works for? How was he discovered?"

The Hokage glanced at him. "Uzumaki stumbled across evidence that he was suspicious. He had records that he shouldn't have had access to in his possession. I suspect he is working with Sound, who we now know are Orochimaru's forces. He sent them to attack Uchiha and Haruno, after he thought Uzumaki was killed. It seems that Orochimaru has expressed an interest in Sasuke, though we are unaware of what that interest is at the moment."

Anko nodded. "None of the Sound nin passed the exam. They shouldn't be in the village any longer. Where is Sasuke now? I've been helping Haruno with her training. Kakashi asked me to look after her while he was away."

Koharu gave a small chuckle. "Yes. You've expressed interest in Naruto."

The woman nodded. "Yes. Well, he's set up other arrangements for him. Haruno has been easy to work with, and she knows him. I've learned a bit. We all know he's already a Chunin, he just doesn't know it yet."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes."

That caught Anko off guard and she arched her eyebrow. "At any rate. Something is going on."

Homura nodded. "Yes. We must ask that all of you be on guard and aware. Given what we know, the Sound spy Kabuto isn't working alone."

The Hokage gave the group a smile. "I trust you guys."

OooOOooOO

Sakura was walking back from her training. She was dirty and tired, but seemed cheerful. "Sakura!" She paused and looked over her shoulder.

Ino was standing nearby. She was clean and jogged to a stop a few feet behind her. "Hey." Her hair was neat and her clothes looked new.

The pink haired kunoichi nodded. "What's up? You're not training?"

The blond frowned at her. "I've finished for the day. Where's Sasuke? I've not been able to find him."

Another male voice interrupted. "He's run off with Kakashi sensei. They've gone to train somewhere outside the village."

Sakura glanced at him. "Hey. You're here too?"

Naruto nodded as he walked up to her. "Yeah. I've finished my training with that pervert Senin. I'm keeping it light for a bit. Just a bit of Taijutsu and some light weapons stuff until we start the exams." He looked a bit tired, and had a familiar muzzle poking from his hood.

Ino frowned at him. "Rats. I was hoping to see him. I know he's probably tired of hanging around Sakura all the time."

Naruto glanced at her and spoke to his teammate. "I'll see you later. I'm gonna grab a bite at Ichiraku and head home. I gotta stop and pick up something for Kitsuma too. He's not big enough for noodles yet." The kit yipped at Sakura as she scratched at his head.

Sakura gave a pleased smile. "Heh. He's getting bigger already. Soon he won't fit in your hood like that anymore."

Ino was flustered and annoyed. "What's with you lately anyway?" Naruto walked by the blond girl as she glared at her rival.

Sakura looked over her shoulder. "I'm not competing with you anymore. Sasuke isn't interested in us right now. I tease him a bit, but...both of us are the same now..."

Ino growled. "What? You're nothing like Sasuke! He's great!"

The pink haired kunoichi shrugged. "Whatever. You're no threat to me. I'm more interested in becoming a strong ninja than getting a date. Sasuke is the same way, if I keep bothering him, it will just push him away and annoy him. Right now, I'm ahead of you in love, and ninjutsu."

The blond tossed her hair. "We both know I'm better looking. Do you really think he's more interested in you?"

Sakura shrugged. "He'll talk to me, he just ignores you." She started walking off.

Ino was fuming mad. "What? You bitch! I'm gonna kick your ass! You hear me!? Get back here!" She charged and Sakura turned a corner ahead of her. When Ino followed after her she froze. Sakura was gone. "That...that cowardly bitch! Running away, huh?! Oh, I'm gonna cave that huge forehead in with my foot!"

Shikamaru walked up beside her with his hands in his pockets. "What are you so hot on?" He looked annoyed.

Ino turned to glare at him and he took a step back. "That's right! I am hot! Sasuke knows it too!"

Nara frowned a little more and grumbled. "Whatever. You're making a scene. Cut it out would you? It's embarrassing."

Choji was beside him a moment later. "What's with her?"

Shikamaru snorted. "Heck if I know. Looks like she ran into Sakura again."

The tubby boy shoved a few chips into his mouth. "Huh? What happened anyway? She always talks bad about her, but it ain't like this usually."

Ino growled. "She's turned into a stuck up bitch! That's what! I'm gonna kill her in that stupid tournament. She's never beaten me, and she's acting all high and mighty!"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Yeah. Well, good luck with that."

OooOOooOO

Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "Huh?" The two foxes he'd met while he was training with Jiraiya were sitting on his doorstep. "Oh. You two."

Masara seemed pleased. "Hi, Boss!"

Koruma was just as cheerful. "We're here!"

They both trotted into the home and looked about. Kitsuma was shaking a small thick rope about and growling as he played in the middle of the room.

Naruto seemed a little annoyed. "What's up?"

Koruma looked up at him. "We've got to start teaching the Prince soon."

The three tails nodded. "Yeah. We're moving in."

A moment later, the two attractive nineteen year old girls were standing in the room.

"Isn't that nice?" The one with green hair was wearing an apron and nothing else.

The redhead was wearing a very short and tight maid outfit. "Yeah! It's going to take a while, and we've got a lot to teach him!"

Naruto was frozen. "M-moving in?"

Masara giggled. "Yeah! Of course! We told you, we've got to instruct him, but we're also supposed to keep an eye on you!"

The blond nin growled. "Hey, look..."

Koruma cocked her head and looked very cute as she pretended to think. "Yeah. It's part of that deal you made."

The teenager made a choking noise. "It never said anything about having you two move in with me!"

The green haired girl shrugged. "Well, we've got to teach him. Unless you want to leave him in the woods with us every day..."

He froze and hung his head. "I...I...grrr..."

The redhead was bouncing up and down in more than one way. "It will be fun!" Kitsuma was jumping up and down beside her, yipping with cheer.

Naruto glared at them. "Well, I ain't feeding you two freeloaders! You're on your own for food!"

The two girls glowered at him and looked sullen. "Fine."

The blond crossed his arms and turned his nose up. "You gotta wear clothes too! I can't have you runnin around naked!"

The pair looked confused. "Why?" They chimed in unison.

Naruto jabbed his finger at them. "Look! This is bad enough! I don't need the whole village thinkin I'm some kind of pervert! You gotta wear clothes, normal ones!"

Both the cute older girls glared at the floor and grumbled. After spinning around, they were both wearing very tight yukata.

Naruto still didn't seem satisfied. "It's a start."

Koruma squatted down and tugged on the other end of the rope as Kitsuma pulled on it and shook his head. The kit was having a wonderful time. "Yes. We'll have fun teasing the Boss won't we?"

Naruto was sitting at the table glaring at the scene looking displeased. "Great. Just great."

"We'll have fun. Don't worry!" Masara sat across from him and held her face up with her palms as she fluttered her eyes at him and pushed out her chest.

He stood up and walked over to his bed. "Well, I'm goin to sleep. I've got training to do tomorrow." Kitsuma rushed over and hopped on top of him. He curled up on top of his chest and settled in.

A moment later, Naruto froze in place. He could feel something warm and wet running down the side of his neck, four hands were rubbing at his sides and something warm and wet pulled on his ear on one side. One of the hands on each side of him were sliding down his belly towards his...

His eyes flew open and he grabbed the hands before they got too far. "Hey! Cut that out!" He jumped out of bed, cradling his son in his arm as he did. The kit seemed dazed and yawned from his arm. Kitsuma looked at the two naked girls in his bed. "You keep your hands to yourselves! Out! Out of my bed! You two jerks are guys! Gross! Sleep somewhere else!" He jabbed his finger away from his bed. "Both of you keep your hands to yourselves!"

The pair hung their heads and sulked off. A moment later, two foxes were curled up on the ground in the middle of the room.

"Why did she marry him again?" Koruma whispered to his companion.

Masara seemed confused. "I'm not sure. He's not much fun is he?"

His companion nodded. "Well, maybe he just has to get used to us?"

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. He'll come around, don't worry."

Naruto was rubbing at his face in bed with Kitsuma settling back onto his chest. "Grabby little perverted furballs. Gross."

OooOOooOO

Shikamaru was wide eyed, with Choji at his side. Both of them had rather slacked jaws. "Uh, is...Uzumaki here?"

The two cheerful older girls looked at the pair as they shoved their breasts forward as far as they could. They were both wearing Yukata and their tits were about falling out of their clothes. One of Masara's did, and she ignored it. Both of the teenage boys got very wide eyed and their eyes locked into place.

Koruma gave a cute giggle. "Oh? You mean, Boss?"

Choji stammered, the bag of snacks in his hand fell to the ground. "B-boss?"

Shikamaru managed to pull his eyes away from the exposed breast long enough to stutter. "Um...who are you?"

The redhead spoke up first. "I'm Koruma!" She bounced and her breast fell back into her clothes.

The green haired girl nodded and giggled. "I'm Masara!"

They both grabbed onto each other in a seductive way. "We're the Boss's sex slaves!"

Choji hit the ground as he fell back as his eyes rolled up into his head.

Shikamaru just stood there with his jaw hanging. "I...I'm..."

Naruto grabbed the pair and pulled them out of the door. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing, Boss." The pair looked shifty eyed and wandered away from the door into the house.

Shikamaru swallowed. "Um...Uzumaki."

The hooded nin seemed annoyed. "Don't listen to them." He turned to the pair who were sitting on the floor with Kitsuma. "Don't tell people stuff like that! What are you trying to do to me?"

Nara swallowed. "We heard a rumor that you had a couple of girls staying here. Um, those two are your...um...?"

Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "No. Look, they aren't human. I ain't doin nothing to them. They aren't even really girls."

Choji stood up and turned a little green. "Those are...guys?"

Uzumaki hung his head. "No. They're both Kitsune, fox spirits. It's a bit weird, but..."

Shikamaru looked even more shocked. "Huh?"

Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "It's...a long story. They're supposed to help me with Kitsuma. I...um..." He turned very red.

Nara frowned at the pair. "Fox spirits?"

Choji looked at the ground. "You lucky bastard."

The hooded nin shook his head. "Lucky? They've both been a pain in the ass. What's up anyway?"

Shikamaru held up a shogi board. "I was gonna see if you wanted a game. We've got to be at the Exams tomorrow. If you're busy, I understand."

Choji was flushed. "Um, yeah. Busy..."

The redhead was holding a leaf on the fox kit's forehead with her fingers and talking to it in a sweet voice. The green haired girl was rubbing on Kitsuma's back and smiling at him.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Anything to take my mind off this mess."

OooOOooOO

Naruto looked up from the ground. The last thing he remembered was the board game vanishing from in front of him. He was distracted, and Shikamaru was beating him. The next thing he knew, his head hurt, and he was on the ground. "Ouch. Huh?"

"You...you animal! Pervert! What the hell is that?" Sakura was pointing back towards the door to his house and standing over him while glaring down at him. "Aren't you supposed to be married? What is wrong with you? I never thought...you...you...Pervert!"

Naruto grumbled as he sat up. "Aw man. Not again."

Shikamaru and Choji were standing side by side. Nara backed away and decided he'd get another board game later. "Um, we'll see you tomorrow Naruto. Um, good luck."

Choji snorted. "Yeah. As if he's not lucky enough."

Sakura turned to glare at them both, and they rushed away. "I don't believe this!"

Naruto was sitting in front of her looking irate. "Those two...I really am starting to hate them."

"Sex slaves? You've got sex slaves?" Sakura crossed her arms and her aura burned around her.

"No. Those two idiots are lying. They're both fox spirits. They're supposed to be helping me with Kitsuma, not making me look like a pervert to the whole stupid village." Naruto rubbed at his skull. "Ouch."

Sakura looked surprised. "Wh-what?"

Naruto was sitting beside a tree stump just outside his home with the remains of the Shogi game scattered about the dirt around him. The board was in two pieces. "They're fox spirits. Both of them are perverts, and they're both really guys."

The pink haired kunoichi turned a bit purple. "G-guys?"

The hooded nin glared at her. "Get your mind out of the gutter. It's bad enough as it is. They're supposed to be teaching Kitsuma about his powers and stuff."

Sakura had relaxed a bit. "Y-you're...um..."

He glared at her and shook his head as he put his hands up. "No. No way." He knew Ken and Ryu were nearby, he could hear them both rolling with laughter. "Did you need something?"

The girl hung her head and glared at him. "I came to wish you luck tomorrow. Sasuke isn't back yet either. I was wondering if you'd seen him?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. Look, they're not even human. I had to throw them out of my bed four times last night. It's bad enough as it is, the perverts. I can't get rid of them either. Freeloading jerks."

She looked suspicious. "Well, I guess..."

Naruto looked up at her. "Sasuke isn't back yet? The finals are tomorrow."

The pink haired kunoichi nodded. "No. What's with those two? The redhead felt me up. I'm pretty sure the other one was trying to look down the front of my shirt!"

The hooded nin gave a heavy sigh. "Tell me about it. Those grabby perverts. It's worse than living with that pervy Senin."

Sakura seemed to relax. Naruto looked irate with his house guests. She gave him a wave. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. I hope Sasuke isn't late." She hung her head as she walked off. "Maybe it's best if I don't know." Her inner self agreed.

The hooded nin watched her rush away. She was almost stomping and looked frustrated. "Great. What the heck am I going to do with those two idiots?"

He moved up to his door and found Ken and Ryu chuckling on either side of the door. They both had red faces and tears in their eyes. "Hey. I guess you've been enjoying this?"

Ken nodded. "Immensely."

Ryu shrugged. "It's hard to feel sorry for you. They're cute."

The boy frowned at him. "They're guys."

Ken nodded. "It doesn't matter much to Fox Spirits."

Naruto nodded. "I'd noticed. The whole village probably thinks I'm some kind of pervert!"

Ryu chuckled a little more. "Well, not that it matters. You're married anyway."

The young ninja nodded. "Yeah. I guess not. Still."

Ken slapped his shoulder. "Well, we came by to wish you luck tomorrow."

His companion agreed. "Yes. Do try to get some sleep tonight. Don't let them keep you up too long."

Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Jerks." He stumbled through the door and the two chuckling ninja walked off. A moment later his voice came from inside the home. "No! I don't want a massage, 'happy ending' or not! Keep your hands off me! I got an exam tomorrow and I need sleep you perverts!"

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Exams begin...


	16. Chapter 16

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 16

The Final Exam

OooOOooOO

Naruto Uzumaki chuckled as he looked over his shoulder. Kitsuma was in his hood and he was walking out of his home. In the middle of the room, a large Jello mold was jiggling in the middle of a plastic swimming pool. He didn't want to mess up his floor when it melted after all.

Koruma and Masara were upside down inside of it. Both of their heads were poking out the sides as they hung suspended in the gel. They were both looking rather pathetic as they watched him walk out the door by craning their necks.

"See you later, Boss!" cried Koruma.

"Yeah. We've got to eat our way out of this attack!" Masara nodded.

The four tailed fox tried to move, but managed to do little more than make the gelatin quiver a little.

Masara let his head hang and his tongue hang out. "I hate lime gelatin."

Koruma did the same thing. "Yeah. I don't mind it much, but we'll ask him to use strawberry next time."

Neither one of the Kitsune seemed very upset. "Hey, Koruma."

"Yeah?"

"I think I get why she likes him now!"

Masara nodded. "Yeah. He must have drugged us to make sure we didn't wake up while it was setting. This is quite inventive. He even put little bits of fruit in it with us. I think I've got a piece of it stuck in my rear from trying to move."

Koruma chuckled. "Yeah. When we get out of it, we'll make sure it doesn't melt!"

"Yeah! We'll reward him later and have a nude wrestling match in it!"

"Great idea!"

OooOOooOO

It was a beautiful day, Naruto had dropped Kitsuma off at Ken and Ryu's place. He couldn't see the pair, but left a carton of heavy cream and a bit of deer meat cut into small cubes with them for the kit's lunch. He knew they were both there, as they had both spoken to him to wish him luck from the shadows.

As it was, he was standing on the practice field. He looked about at the place where he'd first become a Genin.

"Eep!" The hooded nin turned his head and cocked his head. Someone was hiding behind one of the posts that were set up in the field.

"Hey. Hinata, right?" He was in a good mood and looked over at where she was hiding.

She looked around her cover with wide eyes. He could see the veins poking out around her eyes. "Y-yes."

"Sorry if I interrupted. I was just having a look around. I became a Genin here." He scratched his head and seemed apologetic.

"N-no. I uh..." She was pressed up against the post and kept it between them.

"Well, sorry to bother you." He turned away and started towards the stadium where the exams were being held.

"Wait!" She stepped out with her eyes squeezed shut. "You're not...going to kill Neji and eat him are you? Pl-please don't!"

Naruto looked back at her with wide eyes. "Huh? Eat him?"

Hinata jumped back behind her post again. "S-sorry. Um, I didn't..."

"Well, I guess I get why you think I might kill him, but eat him? Gross." He hung his head a little. "Look, just cause I married that demon doesn't mean that I um...eat people."

She poked her head around the post. "I...I've seen you...eating animals...alive."

Naruto turned a little pink, but his mask hid it for the most part. "Oh. Not anymore. I was feeding Kyuubi." He hung his head a little. "Man, how embarrassing. I didn't think anyone saw me...well...Kakashi sensei saw that bird once..."

The girl looked a bit horrified. "F-feeding her?"

He looked over at her and shook his head. "I don't like killing. I do a bit of hunting now and then even now to feed Kitsuma. Wild game is cheaper, easier to catch, and better for him. Don't worry about your cousin. He'll be fine if he doesn't over do it. I'm not going to lose, but I'm not planning on killing anyone today either."

She was shaking a little as she looked out around the post again. "Oh...I...see."

He gave her a wave and started walking away. "Relax, it's just an exam." He shook his head after he put a bit of distance between them. "Man, that chick is kind of creepy. What a weirdo." He paused and looked over his shoulder again. "She's good at hiding. She'd have done well on my team I guess. I almost didn't notice her there." He looked towards his destination and started walking again. "I guess she's just worried about her cousin. Can't blame her for that...but, eat him? Weird."

OooOOooOO

The Genin stood in the center of the arena. Shiranui Genma a Jounin with a long needle hanging from his lips stood in front of them. "Hey. Keep your eyes on the customers. You guys are the stars here." He glanced back at the group.

Naruto and Sakura both seemed annoyed. "That idiot is late." Sakura growled under her breath.

Rock Lee frowned as he glanced over at them.

Naruto gave a sigh. "I'd be worried if it was just Kakashi sensei. Sasuke will be here if he has to drag himself. There's no way he'll miss this."

Almost in answer to that, Sasuke walked up beside them. "Hey."

Lee relaxed a bit, and Naruto and Sakura glanced over at him.

The girl frowned. "Don't go picking up Kakashi sensei's bad habits."

The boy gave a chuckle and crossed his arms as he looked up at the crowd gathering. "Sorry, I got lost on the road of life."

Sakura was annoyed, and Naruto chuckled. The hooded nin glanced at his teammates. "Well, we've all gotten stronger over the past month. I can tell you're both better than before already."

The Uchiha boy gave him a smirk. "I'm looking forward to fighting you."

Up in the stands, the trio noticed as Kakashi took a seat.

OooOOooOO

Sarutobi smirked as he noticed the dark haired boy take his place at the end of the formation of Genin. "Well, it seems all the players have arrived." He turned and grinned. "Ah, there you are."

The Kazekage nodded as he walked up to sit next to him. The pair had a private booth, none of the other Kages had decided to attend. Each sent representatives who sat in the stands. No one but Sand and Leaf had anyone competing, so it wasn't much of a surprise.

Hokage seemed pleased to see him. "Well, you must be tired from the journey?"

Kazekage shook his head. "Not at all. It's fortunate we held it here this time,while you're still alive. A journey like that must be difficult for you. Perhaps it's time you decided on the Fifth?"

The old man chuckled with good humor. "Don't treat me like an old man. I plan to do this for another five years. We should begin." He stood up and called out to the crowd that had gathered. "Welcome to the Chunin Selection Exam! We will now begin the matches, between the twelve who have worked so hard to make it this far. Please stay and watch until the end!"

Genma turned to face them. "All right guys, this is the finals of the exam. The rules haven't changed, there are none. You fight until one of you dies, is unable to continue, or acknowledges defeat. If I determine a winner, I'll step in and stop the match, you got that?" He looked around and they all nodded at him. "Right. The first match is Sakura Haruno, and Ino Yamanaka. Those two will remain here, while the rest of you go to the waiting area upstairs."

Sakura gave Ino a cool and even gaze as she stepped up opposite her.

The blond girl had a cruel snarl on her face. "You can't run now. You've never beat me at anything. You should be scared. I'm gonna make you look bad in front of Sasuke, and show him which of us is really superior!"

Haruno simply looked at her and said nothing as she waited and looked calm and collected.

Ino growled. "What? You've got nothing to say?"

Sakura's expression didn't change. "You talk too much."

The other competitors arrived and took up places to watch from above. They were all standing against the railing. The signal to start was given.

Ino rushed forward yelling at the top of her lungs. She threw a punch at her rival, only to have the pink haired kunoichi lean back and a little to the side. Haruno lifted her knee up and the blond girl was bent over her leg. "Oof!"

Sakura didn't waste a moment and slammed her palm into the girl's jaw sending her onto her back in the dirt. Ino jumped up and gasped as she staggered back as several kunai landed where she'd been laid out. She ducked as her rival's leg passed over her head, and put up her arm. Yamanaka's eyes went wide as she found herself reeling from the blow. "What the?" Her arm was throbbing in pain and she took a defensive stance after being pushed back several feet despite blocking. "No way."

Sakura had one of her fists held in front of her waist, and the other was up by her face. She looked calm and stared her down while facing her. Her eyes were locked onto her opponents.

Ino looked enraged. "You think you're tough do you? I'll show you!" She rushed forward again, lashing out with kicks, and slashing with a kunai.

Haruno shifted and let her leg pass over her, bent her back a little to avoid a slash, put her arm up and stopped the blond girl's leg cold. Ino didn't let the blocked kick slow her down, and reversed her momentum kicking at her rival's face from the other direction. Sakura bent her neck and shifted her back just enough to let it pass over her head, and jabbed in an open palm strike at her upper arm as Ino slashed at her with a kunai from the same direction.

The weapon clattered across the dirt as Yamanaka growled and shook off her wrist. "Damn. When did she get so good?"

Sakura's steely gaze didn't waver. "While you've been playing with flowers and worrying about boys, I've been training. Don't look so surprised."

Ino lashed her arms out and four kunai flew towards her target at high speed. Rather than dodge, Sakura caught every one of them with two sweeping motions with her arms. She spun in place after catching them and waved her arms before stopping and facing the blond.

Ino looked over her shoulder as soon as she realized that the girl wasn't holding them. She felt something warm and wet running down her cheek. "What?" The four kunai she'd tossed were stuck into the wall behind her. She rubbed her palm across the wet sensation and noticed she was bleeding. "Th-there's no way!"

Yamanaka growled as she rushed towards her opponent. Sakura stood her ground, this time blocking a number of fast and quick jabs. Ino was testing her defenses. The pink haired nin spun around a punch Ino committed to after leaving an opening for her intentionally. Her hand chopped at the girl's shoulder just above her neck. The blond nin staggered and almost fell to the dirt. Sakura grabbed her by her ponytail and pulled her back in the other direction, tossing her across the dirt.

Sakura glared down at her with her hand on her hip without saying a word.

Ino growled as she sat up with a kunai in her hand. "What's the matter Sakura? Cat got your tongue? Attacking me that way was dirty, you're just jealous! No matter, it won't happen again!" She pulled the kunai behind her and cut her ponytail off.

The pink haired kunoichi narrowed her eyes and set herself to prepare for the next attack.

The pair rushed each other again. Sakura stood her ground again once more, and Ino was laid out on her back. The Haruno girl put her hands up and seemed to pose as if performing a jutsu. She stopped, and set herself again as Ino sat up on the ground and glared at her as she got to her feet a little slower that time. "Damn. I can't get through her defenses. I've got no choice!"

Sakura's expression didn't waver, but she put up her fists and set herself. Ino's hands moved into a familiar jutsu.

Overhead, Naruto looked on. "What? What's Ino up to?"

Shikamaru clenched his fist. "That jutsu? She's desperate if she's doing that!"

Sasuke glanced over at him. "Well, she's not going to beat her the way things are going now."

Choji looked a bit worried. "Ino is losing to Sakura? No way!"

Nara nodded. "She's not going to overpower her physically. She's got no choice, if she misses she's finished!"

Ino had a mad grin on her face. "Shin ten shin no jutsu!"

The pink haired nin gave a smirk, and Ino narrowed her eyes as she targeted her jutsu. At the last moment, her opponent rushed aside out of the way to avoid it.

Ino slumped down to her knees in front of the girl. After a moment, she raised her head and grinned. Sakura was standing in front of her with her teeth gritted and seemed to be shaking a little. "Well, what do you know? You can't move, can you? That hair is a rope fused with chakra now. You're stuck." She'd faked her jutsu to set up the trap.

Sakura looked shocked and made a growling noise. "Come on you brat. Is this all you've got?" The girl's hair was spread out across the ground between them, and a few strands of it were wrapped around Sakura's leg.

Ino stood up and gave her a confident grin. "Heh. I told you, you'll never beat me! I'm your superior, in love, and ninjutsu!" She put up her hands again. "There's no way I'll miss this time!"

Ten Ten chuckled. "Heh. Impressive. Ino has already lost, even if that jutsu lands."

Shikamaru looked down at the fight, after a moment, he saw what she meant. "No! Ino! Don't!"

The blond kunoichi focused her hands to aim her jutsu. "Shin ten shin no jutsu!" Once again, Ino fell to her knees with her head hung low.

Sakura turned to look up at the others gathered for the test. "Heh." She raised her hand. "I Sakura Haruno..." Her eyes went wide, and she jerked forward.

Sakura was standing in the puff of smoke that resulted from her Shadow Clone being broken. In her hand was a kunai that was being held forward in a stab. She walked up to the frozen Ino and lifted her head with the side of the blade. "It's over."

Genma nodded from nearby. "Sakura Haruno is the winner!"

Sasuke smirked as he looked on from above. "She stayed hidden behind her clone. She was waiting for that jutsu. I thought it was odd she didn't finish her right at the start. She could have knocked her out cold no problem."

Naruto nodded and looked at his teammate. "Yeah. It was a good plan, but if I was her, I'd have ended it as soon as I could have. I suppose she did good sticking to the plan she made. I think she was expecting Ino to be stronger."

Shikamaru frowned. "Great. We'll never hear the end of this."

Choji seemed to think on it. "I dunno? Maybe she'll finally shut up about it? She got her ass kicked pretty bad."

"I've got to say, that Sakura is something else. It was a good plan." Nara nodded and watched her approach.

Ten Ten gave a nod and grinned. "I figured as much. There was no way that immature brat was going to beat her."

Temari smirked a little as well. "I guess I can respect a girl like that a little. Not bad. I hope I get to fight against her."

Kankuro frowned at her but didn't speak. He looked back towards the arena.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto. "Hey. You're up next. You notice anything weird?"

The hooded nin nodded. "Yeah. What's up with the ANBU? There's a couple standing about in the crowd. Is something going on?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Not sure. Good luck, I'll keep an eye out. That one near the other side of the crowd has had his eyes on us since he showed up a minute ago." The nin he pointed out looked away towards the arena as he said it.

Naruto gave a nod. "Yup. I guess I can't worry about it now."

Neji walked by him and frowned as he passed. "Hey. I hope you're ready to lose."

The blond nin seemed pleased. "I like to think I prepare for everything." He followed after towards the arena.

OooOOooOO

Naruto glared at his opponent as he walked into the center of the arena. His eyes were hard and focused. His thoughts worked over what he'd learned. "He's considered a genius in the Hyuuga clan. A member of the lower branch house. His style is a soft style, he'll try to attack my chakra points. A strategy that puts me at a distance would be best I think. We'll test the waters, I'm not sure, but...I might not need to worry about that. Heh."

Neji frowned at him. His face was covered in a mask, but he could tell his opponent was grinning. "What are you smiling about?"

Naruto crossed his arms and looked him over. "Well, your friend Lee. He said the strongest Genin in Konoha was on his team. I assume he meant you. You seem to be the leader of your team, and that's usually the one who's considered the strongest."

The boy frowned. "That's right. This match is already decided. Your fate was sealed the moment I became your opponent." His eyes narrowed as he stared at the shadow standing before him. He couldn't see anything but darkness. He growled. "What the hell are you anyway?"

The hooded nin seemed cheerful. "Me? I'm Konoha's smartest Genin. This should be a good match." Two more of him appeared on either side of him. The two clones put up their fists and prepared to attack.

Neji looked on with his eyes growing wide. His eye jutsu was working full force, causing the veins around his eyes to pulse. "What the hell?" He could see his chakra lines, but they were empty, as if he was a walking dead body.

Naruto cocked his head as the pair rushed forward. "Shall we begin?" All three of them became a blur.

Neji matched his speed, and met the two clones head on. They punched at him, and he pushed their attacks to the side with ease, shoving his palm into their chest and belly as he dodged around very speedy attacks.

Both clones flew back, but the jutsu held. They stood up and rubbed at the spots they'd been attacked in. Neji growled. "He doesn't look hurt as much as he should be."

One of the clones fell forward, blood poured from his lips. The other growled and looked like his chest was hurting. "Ouch."

Neji seemed to grow more confident. He spun around and lashed out in a kick as Naruto blurred out of the way behind him. "You think you can sneak up on me?" He gasped and jumped into the air, grabbing the pair of new clones by their hair and slamming them head first into each other. The jutsu broke just before they hit, causing the Hyuuga boy to gasp as he lost his balance for a moment in mid air. "Huh?"

Naruto passed by him to his right, and he felt his gut explode in pain as he slammed into the ground on his back. Neji groaned in pain and staggered to his feet. "Damn. Sneaky bastard." He saw the boy put his sword back over his shoulder, still in the scabbard.

Neji rolled over, pushed on the ground to help himself up, and jumped back, pulling his arm away from the ground as fast as he could. The metallic clank of a bear trap snapping at his hand sounded as he landed and looked around. His opponent was gone. "What the? Where did?"

Naruto appeared behind him. Neji put his hand up over his eyes as he ducked under the sword strike that slashed at him and grabbed the hooded nin's leg as he passed by. He flicked his wrist and Naruto was laid out on his back hard. A cloud of dust formed as he hit and dented the ground a bit.

"I've got you!" Neji slammed his open palm into his fallen opponent's belly. Naruto curled up around the strike and a little blood flew from his lips.

"Gah! That stings!" The hooded nin grabbed his arm, flipped over his shoulder and tossed him into the wall.

Neji chuckled as he hit it feet first and crouched against the side of the wall. He rushed along the side of it for a few feet and jumped off as four kunai became embedded in it. The Hyuuga boy skidded to a halt and faced his opponent. "Heh."

Naruto was looking at him and holding his belly. "Heh. Not bad."

Hyuuga frowned. "You think I can't see those traps you've been laying out?" There were five more of the snapping traps hidden about the arena under the dirt.

The blond nin was on his feet. "I was wondering. Still, they'll serve their purpose."

Neji chuckled in a cruel way. "It seems you still seem to think you can win. Don't you understand that you're nothing? Your clan is just waste in this village. You're nothing but a loser. Destined by your own blood to fail, and become a stepping stone for better ninja to use to grow their own power!"

Naruto was standing tall. "I understand that it's my duty to do my best to defeat you. Nothing else matters to me. If you want to win, you're going to have to take your victory by force."

Neji growled. "Bah. What would you understand about duty? You don't know what it's like to live with a mark, and a curse!"

The hooded nin seemed a little annoyed. "Yes. I would, and you know it."

The white eyed boy paused for a moment and furrowed his eyebrow. "You've been freed of your curse. You don't understand what it means to bear a real curse! One you can never be free of until the day that you die!"

Sasuke and Sakura were looking on with the other nin overhead. The dark haired boy frowned. "What's he on about?"

The pink haired kunoichi shrugged. "This is interesting. I've never seen Naruto in this kind of situation."

Sasuke looked surprised. "Huh? I guess not. He's handling it pretty well. Neji doesn't realize he's not touched him yet."

Rock Lee frowned. "What do you mean? Uzumaki has taken several hits!"

Sakura shook her head. "Nope. It just seems that way. Naruto would never face an opponent openly this way. He's just getting Neji worked up for something."

Back on the ground, Neji gasped. "What?" A dozen Naruto were coming at him from every side. Each with a weapon held to attack. "Heh. Fool!"

Every one of Naruto's clones was knocked away as a ball of power formed around the spinning Neji. The one looking on at a distance uncrossed his arms and took a step back.

"What the? That's interesting." He looked surprised again as Neji appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

"I've had enough of you!" Naruto gasped as the boy's fists became a blur. "You think I'm stupid? You've just been hanging back because you're afraid of having your pressure points attacked!"

The hooded nin was bent over his opponent's strike. He spit out a bit of blood and chuckled. "I told you, I'm Konoha's..."

Neji reeled as a strong strike to the back of his head lifted him off his feet and sent him sprawling across the ground on his side as the boy he'd attacked vanished into a puff of smoke.

"...smartest Genin." Naruto had his sword on his shoulder, still in the scabbard as he looked down at him from where he'd struck him.

The white eyed boy growled as he staggered to his feet. "I see. It doesn't matter. You can't defeat me. A person's power, looks, everything is decided at birth. I can figure it all out with these eyes. You've got no power, you're just a shell with no soul. You're going to lose and..."

Naruto became fifteen more. "In case you've not noticed yet, you're getting your butt kicked."

Neji jumped to his feet, gasped and jerked his leg up as another one of the traps set itself off. He hopped back and frowned as he was forced to jump back again. He gasped for breath as he looked at two more of the sprung traps in the dirt.

Uzumaki nodded. "That's three."

Hyuuga yelled as he was charged again. "Kaiten!" The clones were all knocked away. "You still think that will work?"

A single Naruto was left and on his rear. He stood up and reached for the sword on his back, but once again didn't draw it. His fingers were up in front of his mask. "Heh."

Neji smirked at him. "You're clever, but weak. You've still not realized that your destiny is now complete. You're within the field of my Hakke. It's over." He crouched low and spread his arms. "Gentle fist style! Sixty-four hands of Hakke!"

The Hyuuga boy rushed forward, striking with amazing speed that sent the hooded nin reeling back. Naruto couldn't do anything to counter and ended up on his knees clutching his belly before Neji.

The white eyed boy had a smirk on his face. "I have hit the sixty-four points on your body. You can no longer stand. Heh. It's painful isn't it? Stay on your knees before a superior power. You should realize that hard work to realize your dreams is an illusion."

The blond nin's hood had come off of his head. He was shaking as he crouched before his opponent on the ground. Neji started to turn away. He stopped and looked over his shoulder with a disgusted frown. His fallen opponent was laughing for some reason. "What's so funny? Did you lose your mind?" Naruto stood up and the wide eyed Neji gasped. "What?"

The blond put his hood back over his head and shook his head. "I thought those eyes of yours were supposed to reveal the truth? It's rather bone headed of you to think this is over just because of that." Naruto had taken a lot of hits, but he was still moving pretty well.

Neji staggered back. "N-no way!"

Naruto looked a little worn out. He was gasping for breath. "I've got to admit, it does hurt a little. What's your problem anyway? You've been running your mouth an awful lot." He staggered forward and kept clutching at his belly with a bit of blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.

Neji growled and took off his forehead protector. "This." There was a mark on his forehead. It was a manji with two lines on either side of it. "It's a curse seal. It's a real curse, not that you'd understand that." The white eyed boy seemed to enjoy hearing himself talk and validating his hatred and belief in the iron rule of destiny. He began to tell a story, of his family, the curse of his branch, and how his father was sent to die to replace the current head of the Hyuuga clan.

When he finished he narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "I hate you. You're just a coward, and you've escaped your curse by making a deal with a monster. You call what happened to you a curse? You're free, and it's pathetic. This is a true curse. I'm trapped in this destiny until I die. Don't go telling me about how you understand what a real curse is to me."

Naruto growled. "Well. I've got to say, it is rather disgusting. Any clan that can't defend itself on it's own, without slaves and scapegoats, should die out. They're trying to cheat the laws of nature, and if they aren't fit to take care of themselves without such cowardly measures, they should have been destroyed then. Trying to cheat the most basic law of nature, 'survival of the fittest', will only make them weaker in the end. There's no rules they can write that will change that. I've lost a bit of respect for that clan. What cowards. Sending others out to face death instead of dealing with it themselves. Sounds weak to me." He looked up at the stands and found a white eyed man standing up and glaring at him. "Still, what's it got to do with this? Who are you to tell me what my destiny is, or how cursed I am. or what I can understand? You're just jealous because I found a way to change my destiny."

Neji chuckled. "What? Jealous of you? Don't be stupid."

Naruto glared at him and took a staggering step forward. "That's exactly it. On top of that, you actually think you've won."

Neji looked angry. "You've already lost. It's pathetic to hear you talk big looking like that. You think you can continue? I've sealed up your chakra. You can't fight anymore. You've lost already. You're barely standing as it is."

"Like I said, I'm kind of surprised you'd try something like that and think you've won. After all, those eyes of yours should be able to see it clearly. What good does it do you to seal up something that I'm not using anyway?" Naruto had a hard glare in his eyes as he stood upright with ease and revealed that he'd been faking his discomfort. "If you want to discuss philosophy and history, I'll be glad to meet with you later. This is a fight, and it's not even close to over yet."

Neji balled up his fists and growled at him. "Your destiny is to lose to me. If you try to continue, I'll respond with lethal force. Give up, or you won't be around to regret it."

Naruto charged. "Not a chance! If you've still not realized the truth. Then those eyes of yours can't show it to you!"

The Hyuuga boy growled. "What?" He tried to move back, but two sets of hands came out of the ground and grabbed his ankles to hold him in place. "No!"

Naruto's fist connected him dead across his jaw. He sailed back towards a tree that was inside the arena and landed on the dirt hard. "Bastard I..." He tried to push himself up, but two metallic clanking sounds caused him to freeze in place. They happened one after the other and he screamed in pain. "It...can't be!" One was clamped on his right elbow, and the other was around his left knee. He looked up in shock and gasped.

Naruto fell from above with his sword drawn. He had been sitting on one of the branches of the tree and stopped with it pointed against his opponent's neck. "That's five. Heh."

Neji looked both shocked and confused. "What? How? I...lost?"

Naruto gave him a serious looking frown. "You just don't get it, do you? I've been using clones to position you for this since the battle started. You've never even touched the real me."

Genma walked up next to Naruto. "That's enough. The fight is over."

Hyuuga was wide eyed. "What?" Naruto's two dirty and beaten looking clones appeared on either side of him and vanished in puffs of smoke after looking down at him and grinning.

Naruto turned away. "I wish you luck in dealing with your problems. It's none of my business anyway. I'll tell you this though, there's no such thing as no way out, and there's no such thing as an opponent that can't be beaten." He had a smirk on his face. He'd gotten the boy to run his mouth for a bit on purpose to set him up for the final blow and spring his trap. He was so distracted with telling his story, he never even noticed it going on around him.

Neji's head hit the dirt, and tears fell from his eyes. "I...lost?"

The crowd was cheering as Naruto left the arena. Neji was being loaded onto a stretcher. The blond nin frowned at the man who glared at him with angry white eyes. He turned away and ignored him.

The Head of the main branch lowered his eyes and looked at the young girl at his side. Hinata's younger sister was clutching his robe and looking up at him. He turned away and left the seats as Neji was carted away.

Genma spoke to him as he was being carried by him. "Even a caged bird will try to open the lock on the cage with it's beak if it's smart."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke gave Naruto a smirk as he walked back into the waiting area. "Pretty impressive. He never noticed you slip into that tree when you made those three clones at the start of the match. He never figured out that's where those extra clones were coming from."

Sakura was looking at him. "It wouldn't have mattered anyway. None of Neji's gentle fist attacks even hurt your clones. I noticed you take a few fake blood pills. I bet you could have taken him even without the clones. Right?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not sure. It's possible." He didn't see the need to explain it. In fact, the bulk of Neji's attacks had actually helped him. He was shoving chakra into his body with his attacks, attempting to disrupt his chakra lines by forcing too much into them and causing an overload. They were empty though, and the attacks just gave him more energy. If his chakra flow had been normal, it would have disrupted it, and caused internal damage. He probably could have beaten him in a stand up fight, but didn't want to risk the boy having something else up his sleeve if he'd ever figured it out.

Sakura nodded. "Our next fight, it's you and me." She gazed at him with a grin of her own. "I'm looking forward to it."

That caught Sasuke off guard. "Huh?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Should be a good fight. I'm looking forward to it as well. You've gotten pretty strong yourself."

She nodded. "Yeah. You won't be able to trick me that easily. I know you're not that good in a straight fight. I've got a good shot at beating you."

Naruto leaned against the railing and nodded. "Maybe. We'll see."

Sasuke nodded. "Don't forget, even if you get past him, you'll have to face me at some point. Same goes for you, Uzumaki."

The hooded nin chuckled and nodded at the green clad boy approaching them. "Yeah. Well, you've got to get past him first."

Rock Lee moved up to Sasuke. "I'm looking forward to this. Don't think you've seen my true power yet."

The Uchiha boy nodded and had a serious frown on his face. "Yeah. That little game in the hall was nothing. This is a real fight."

Lee started towards the stairs and smiled. "Come on then. I don't plan on losing, but...I hope you're as strong as you say."

Sasuke walked behind him and nodded as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. Same to you. Heh." He had a hard and almost crazed glare as he stared at the back of the boy's head as they walked into the arena together.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, this should be fun."

Sakura gave a sigh. "Yeah. I just hope he uses his head. They'll probably just try to beat each other to death."

The hooded nin nodded. "Yeah. He might surprise you though. We'll see."

They turned to watch the pair walk out into the center of the arena and waited.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Sasuke vs. Rock Lee!


	17. Chapter 17

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 17

A battle of strength, or wits?

OooOOooOO

Hinata walked into the infirmary and gasped. "B-brother Neji! Are you all right?"

She'd passed by her father on the way in. He'd come from the room looking sullen. The girl was unaware, but he'd just explained the truth of Neji's father's death to the boy. That he'd sacrificed himself to save his life, and that he'd done it of his own free will. It had been hard for the man to do.

Hinata hadn't been watching the matches. She'd come to wish her cousin luck, and hadn't left yet. He'd ignored her, and given her a frown before shoving her aside on his way in. Only Genin who had teammates in the matches were allowed into the arena. The seats were reserved for Jounin judges, dignitaries, and representatives for the most part. Tickets weren't sold to the general public in the village. Her father was there, and had her younger sister with him. She was about to leave and return home when she saw them bringing her cousin into the infirmary on a stretcher.

She'd been told to wait outside, and had been allowed in to see him once they'd finished treating his wounds. Her father had gone in first and left Hanabi with her. He'd sent her in after he'd walked out and left with her sister. They had allowed her to enter on the condition that she stayed out of the way. Another person was in the room with him that was being operated on.

The boy was hanging his head as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah. That guy, he was really something." It took him a moment to speak up, and his cheeks flushed.

Hinata's eyes went a little wide. Neji had what appeared to be very large bite marks on one of his arms and one of his legs. She gasped and went a little pale. His wounds were wrapped up well, but the blood left what looked like bite marks through the bandages. The medical nin remaining in the room were all seeing to someone else on the other side of the room at the time. Her eyes moved towards the scene for a moment, they were using a lot of chakra, but her cousin was the one she'd come to see.

Neji looked up at her and spoke in a tone that she never remembered hearing from him before. "What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting to see you."

"I just wanted to make sure...you weren't hurt badly. I hadn't left yet, and I saw them bringing you in here." She looked away and played with her fingers.

He looked up at her. "You're always too kind..." There wasn't much heat in his voice. He didn't sound angry or annoyed with her at all. It was strange, and her cheeks flushed a little.

She took a step towards him. "Um, here. It's medicine, it will help...with your injuries. I hope you don't mind." She held a small bottle of ointment out to him. She always carried a little with her.

He took it and looked up at her with an odd expression on his face that wasn't quite a smile. "Yeah...thanks."

The girl backed away. "Well, I'll let you get some rest. I just wanted...to make sure everything was all right."

Her cousin looked at the bottle after she left, and a few tears fell down his cheeks. "Hinata...I...I'm sorry." He looked up and realized she'd not heard him.

OooOOooOO

Out in the hall, the girl was shaking. "Poor Neji! It looks like he almost didn't escape being eaten! That monster almost got him! How horrible!" She rushed away, not wanting to meet the creature again. She knew it was there, somewhere. It was probably busy with the finals, but she didn't want to risk running into it again.

OooOOooOO

Neji settled down to rest, but noticed something rather odd on the other side of the room. He was aware of it before, but hadn't had much time to notice it much. There was a curtain drawn, and several medical nin were standing around a young girl about his age. "Who...?" The nin were putting out a lot of chakra as they stood around her. His eyes could see through the barrier and he lay there watching for a few moments.

It was a girl, her body was wrapped from head to toe in bandages. She was lying on her back, with a breathing mask on. Her eyes were wide open, and she wasn't moving. The nin standing around her had their hands over her, and were putting out large amounts of chakra into her body. There was something odd about her under the bandages, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

The girl was alive, but breathing in shallow breaths and just looking up at the ceiling with a dazed glassy eyed stare. "What the hell?" A group of four more medical nin rushed by him on the way over to her.

The nin who had been pumping chakra into her opened the curtain and walked away from the scene as the others took over. He looked up at one of them as they passed him by. "Hey. Who is that girl? What happened to her? Is she all right?" The medic looked worn out and drained, as did the others with him.

He didn't know any of them other than they were assigned to oversee the injured at the exam finals. "I'm afraid I can't give away details. I'm afraid that...no, she's not all right."

The boy gave a nod and closed his eyes. It was a disturbing scene, and the medical nin that had been working on her walked out of the room. All of them had sullen expressions on their faces as they moved by him on the way out of the room.

He couldn't help but take another look at the girl. There was a bit of fluid oozing from her bandages. The medical nin were moving her over to a stretcher with care. One of her arms fell to the side as they did, and it moved like a noodle that had been wrapped up. As if it had no bones.

"Damn it! Be careful! She's barely holding together!" One of the new medical nin barked at his companions as one of them took great care putting her arm back on the stretcher with the rest of her.

Another was talking into a radio as they rolled her by on a gurney. "She's a mess. Have a team ready when we arrive. My god, I've never seen anything like this! What the hell happened to her?"

Hyuuga frowned as he settled into his pillow. "Who was that? What's going on?" He knew enough to know that the room was for those who were participating in the tournament. It was either someone from the stands, or someone who had been hurt in the previous bouts. "That girl?" His eyes went wide. It had to be, it was the Yamanaka girl. Something was really wrong with her. "What the hell happened? Did Haruno do something to her?" She only seemed knocked out when they carried her off the field.

OooOOooOO

Rock Lee stood facing off against Sasuke. The pair was giving each other a hard glare as they frowned at one another.

Shikamaru gripped the railing as he looked away from the fight. "Huh? Where's Asuma sensei going?"

Naruto frowned and glanced over at the boy. "Huh? Something wrong?"

The boy gave a nod. "Yeah. Asuma sensei just took off. I'm not sure I liked the look on his face."

Choji was munching on a bag of chips a little slower than normal. "Yeah. Did Ino leave? It's weird that she's not back yet."

Sakura glanced over at him. "Maybe she had to leave because she lost her match?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. Maybe..."

Naruto nodded towards the match. "They're about to start. If there is something wrong, there's nothing any of us can do."

Nara gave him a frown, but nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're right." He looked at Choji and jerked his head.

The tubby boy followed after him and they both walked away.

Ten Ten turned to watch them. "Hey. Where are they going?"

Naruto glanced at her and shrugged. "Down to the infirmary I guess. Ino isn't back yet. I'm guessing they're going to check on her."

Sakura glanced at him, and looked down at the fight again. She gripped the rail and focused her eyes on Sasuke and Lee.

The girl in Chinese clothes nodded. "I guess."

Naruto frowned at Sakura. "You should go and check. I can tell it's bothering you."

The girl glared at him. "She's not on my team. I don't want to miss this. She seemed fine when they carried her off."

The hooded nin nodded. "If you say so."

Sakura glanced at him and turned away, walking towards the stairs. Naruto watched her go, but turned to face the match again without saying a word.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke stared down Lee in the center of the arena and grinned at his opponent in a dark way.

Lee was giving him a similar grin. "I had hoped to face you. Our last battle was less than satisfying."

The Uchiha boy nodded. "Yeah. I've been looking forward to this myself." He put up his hands and leaned back into a stance.

Lee put his hand forward and placed his other arm behind his back as he readied himself as well. "All eyes are upon us. Shall we show them the difference between hard work and genius?"

Sasuke chuckled. "If that's what you wanted, you should fight Naruto. I told you already. I'm a genius that works hard."

His opponent nodded. "Yes. I hope that is true. Master Gai said something similar. Shall we begin?"

Uchiha set himself. "Anytime you're ready!"

Lee gave a confident looking smirk. "Then we begin!" He rushed forward and spun into a series of spinning kicks. "Spinning Leaf Assault!"

Sasuke managed to dodge every strike and thrust his arm out in a punch. Lee caught his fist and lashed out with his own. Sasuke moved his head and flipped back into a kick that the bowl cut boy jumped back to dodge and almost took in the jaw.

The pair skidded apart from each other and stood upright. Lee wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "He's faster than before."

Sasuke became a blur of motion, his eyes already changed as his bloodline showed itself. Lee blocked a kick at his head and thrust his hand out to catch the boy in his stomach, but the fist was grabbed. Sasuke twisted around his arm and swept his leg out from under him.

Rock Lee managed to catch himself with his hands and flipped back to escape the maneuver and landed in a crouch. Sasuke was in front of him, and he took a shot dead in his face, knocking him away and skidding across the dirt on his back. "Heh." He pushed himself up and launched himself into the air straight up in a kick.

Sasuke was trying to jump on top of him and attack, but was forced to twist around the strike in mid air and managed to backhand the boy in his chest. "Heh. Not bad."

Lee was on his feet a split second after landing from the blow and glared at his opponent. "Yes. You're stronger than I anticipated. It is not enough." Sasuke blurred and he felt hands on his back. "What? He's this fast?" He sailed back as he felt Sasuke put his foot into his back and flip him over him. Lee didn't seem to notice, but there were two of Sasuke in the arena at the time. Giving the illusion that he was faster than he really was. Only one was within his line of sight at a time.

Rock Lee almost hit a huge boulder on one side of the ring and managed to flip himself on top of it. He crouched and frowned as he set himself on top of the rock. Sasuke was standing in the middle of the ring with his hands in his pockets looking at him while standing sideways. "Such speed!"

His opponent chuckled. "Quit playing around. You're not fast enough to beat me as you are now." Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he noticed his opponent look up at his instructor. Gai gave him a serious looking nod. Lee grinned down at Sasuke and crouched down, undoing the warmers on his legs.

Uchiha gave a chuckle as it revealed weights under the warmers strapped to his legs. "Heh. Looks like Naruto was right. Well, this should get interesting." He looked very smug, until Lee tossed them away off the edges of the stone.

They made very large impact craters, shook the entire arena, and left large dust clouds in their wake.

Naruto got a bit wide eyed. "Whoa."

Sasuke's smirk fell away. "Huh? You're kidding me."

Lee jumped down and landed in a light manner in front of him. "A thrilling battle! You do not disappoint, Sasuke. Now, our true battle can begin!"

Uchiha didn't have his hands in his pockets anymore. He frowned and balled up his fists. "This could be difficult."

Naruto smirked. "Heh. That dope." He called down at his teammate. "Hey! I told you about running your stupid mouth didn't I?"

Sasuke took a moment to glare at him. "Asshole." He focused on his opponent. Lee waited for his attention to focus on him again and moved into a ready position.

Rock Lee charged forward in a blur of motion and attacked his opponent. The Uchiha boy reeled as he took a few blows. He managed to get his hands up fast enough to block a kick and a punch, but took an uppercut in his jaw that sent him into the air and flying back. He spun and flipped in mid air, kicking his leg out at Lee as the boy appeared behind him.

Rock managed to cross his arms and deflect the blow, but wasn't able to attack. They landed across from each other. Lee had a hard and serious frown on his face. Sasuke mirrored the expression and crouched. Lee spoke up. "You're quite strong, I am grateful, but this ends now."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You think so?" His Sharingan hadn't faded away and focused on his opponent.

"I told you already, I know the weakness of those eyes. You cannot match my speed!" He rushed forward in a flurry of spinning attacks. "Leaf Spinning Whirlwind Cyclone!"

Sasuke seemed to vanish as the attack appeared to pass through him. Lee was shocked. "Huh? Can it be?"

Uchiha seemed to erupt from the ground behind him and slammed his foot into the back of his opponent's head. Lee was sent high into the air and looked like the strike had hurt quite a bit. Before he reached the apex of his momentum, Sasuke was behind him in a move that seemed to mirror the one he'd used against him in the academy building.

Lee gasped. "The Shadow of the Dancing Leaf?"

His opponent kicked him in the ribs, flipped around him and elbowed his chest, punched him in the face, and flipped over so that his heel was in the green clad boy's gut when they both hit the ground. "Lion Combo!" He jumped back and crouched a short distance away.

Rock was in pain, but rolled onto his side and stood up a bit slower than before. "Ouch. I see."

Sasuke growled as he realized his opponent wasn't down yet. "Damn. I was hoping that would do it."

Lee grinned and charged forward. "I'm afraid not!" He spun into another attack again. "Leaf Great Whirlwind!" He jumped at Sasuke and performed two spinning kicks, one that passed over his head, and the second that slammed into his crossed arms and threw him back. "I have you!"

Sasuke gasped as he curled and flipped over in mid air, he looked like he was trying to get his feet back on the ground, when a green blur kicked him in the face and sent him high into the air. The Uchiha boy looked shocked as Lee appeared behind him. "Now, I'll show you how this technique is supposed to be completed!" He grabbed his opponent from behind, wrapping him up in the bindings around his wrists. "Inital Lotus!" They both spun into the ground at high speed, leaving a gaping crater in the ground.

Naruto looked on over the scene and gave a small amused snort.

Ten Ten looked a bit surprised. "What? You're not worried? He might have been killed!"

The hooded nin shook his head. "Nope. Sasuke's been using his head. He never took that hit."

The girl got a bit wide eyed. "Huh?"

Lee was looking at the empty bandages in confusion. Out of the ground behind him, Sasuke appeared again. "Thanks for showing me!" He spun into a kick just as the boy turned around and nailed him in the face. "Leaf Great Whirlwind Fist!" Lee took another blow to his gut as well, and slammed into the wall of the arena hard enough to knock the wind out of him and crack the stone. Just as he looked up, Sasuke punched him dead in the face and slammed his skull back into the concrete wall.

Naruto looked at the scene and seemed pleased. "Hey. He's getting pretty good. Lee hasn't seen it yet."

The girl beside him gasped. "Huh? What do you mean?"

The hooded nin glanced at her. "If you're not seeing it, I'm not gonna explain it. Sorry. I don't give my team up like that." Sasuke was getting good at using Shadow clones. He'd taken a few blows on purpose, and was using the dust clouds from the resulting attack to disguise his jutsu. Instead of getting up himself, he was creating a clone to stand up for him and vanishing into the ground. He'd done it twice so far in the battle, and Lee hadn't caught on yet.

Rock was staggering out of his hole. "It...can't be? He matches my speed? How?" There was no way the boy could be that fast. It just wasn't possible. Before he could react, Sasuke kneed him in the face, flipped him over his shoulder onto the ground, and jumped onto his chest holding two kunai at his throat.

Lee looked shocked as he stared into the Sharingan. The Uchiha boy grinned. "I can see what you're going to do, before you even think of it."

Rock could still move, but the blades at his throat and Genma's hand on Sasuke's shoulder ended the battle.

"That's enough." Genma chuckled as he looked down at the shocked Lee.

Sasuke extended his hand after putting his kunai away. "I win."

Lee nodded and accepted it with a smile on his face. "Yes. It's a shame I let my guard down so soon. I didn't even get to use my strongest move. Still, you won with honor, and I hope I lost with honor as well."

Uchiha looked surprised and nodded. "Yeah. Good fight."

Naruto looked over his shoulder towards the stairs as the battle ended. Shikamaru and Choji walked out with their heads hung low, and Sakura wasn't with them. He frowned and turned his eyes back towards the arena without speaking to them as they passed him.

OooOOooOO

"Asuma sensei!" Shikamaru rushed up to his instructor's side. The man was leaning against the wall with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He was looking at the floor with his arms crossed.

Choji panted as he moved up behind his friend. "Hey. Where's Ino? Did she leave?"

The man looked up at the pair. "She's not here anymore." His eyes were a little bloodshot, and he puffed on his cigarette. There were a few more at his feet on the ground crushed and burned out.

Shikamaru could tell something was wrong. "What happened? She's not allowed to stay and watch the rest of the exam or something?"

"She's been taken to the hospital." Asuma stood up and put his hands on the pair's shoulders.

A new voice interrupted any further explanation. "What? Why? What happened?" Sakura Haruno rounded the corner behind them and looked at the instructor. "What happened to Ino?"

The man gave her a hard glare for a moment, but his features softened. "You did." He looked at the ground again and his frown deepened.

The girl froze, both of the boys looked back at her. "Wh-what? What do you mean? She was fine! I saw them carry her off! She wasn't injured!"

The man turned his eyes up at her. "It was her jutsu."

The trio looked up at him. Shikamaru looked shocked. "Huh? Wait...you mean?"

Sakura was upset. "What do you mean? What happened to her?"

The man turned his eyes towards her. "You...What do you know about the Shin ten shin?" He looked very serious.

Haruno hung her head. She didn't know what to say, and answered as best she could. "It's a mind control technique, she can use it to take over someone's body."

Shikamaru frowned. "Yeah. She tricked Ino into a Shadow Clone body, and..." His eyes grew wide and he gasped. "N-no way!"

Asuma gave a grave nod. "I'm afraid so."

Choji and Sakura spoke at the same time. "What are you talking about?"

The man turned away from her and took a heavy drag off his cigarette. "The Shin ten shin has a weakness. Any damage done to the body that her mind inhabits, is also done to the body of the one who casts the jutsu. It's not intended for fighting, but is a spying jutsu." He looked at Sakura. "Misusing it can get the one who uses it killed."

Sakura looked confused. "What do you mean?" She had real fear in her eyes.

Asuma looked over at her. "I can't blame you for this. Especially since it seems you were unaware, but...when you broke the jutsu and dispersed your clone. It may well have killed her."

The pink haired kunoichi fell to her knees as she went white. "Wh-what?" Tears started to run down her cheeks.

Shikamaru and Choji both looked horrified. Neither one of them could speak, and Choji's bag of snacks fell to the ground at his feet.

Asuma hung his head. "It's her own damn fault. I...I warned her about relying on it this way. I don't know how many times I said it...she..."

Kakashi rounded the corner. He froze and hung his head as he came upon the scene. "Great." He didn't move as Asuma spoke to the children.

"When you broke the jutsu, her body became...very unstable. It took a little time, but...she's in critical condition now. They took her to the hospital, and there's nothing any of you can do about it now. Go back to the exam for now. You won't be allowed to see her tonight." Asuma looked at the trio and frowned at Sakura. "Haruno."

The girl looked up at him. Her jaw was hanging and tears were streaming down her face. "I...I..."

The man gave her a sullen frown. "Remember the Hokage's words. All of you risked your lives when you entered this exam. Ino knew this as much as you did."

The girl looked up at him with horrified eyes. "She's dead? I...I killed her?"

He shook his head. "No. She's not dead. I don't know if she will live or not. She's not the only nin who would have given up her life in these exams, and she's not the first to die or become injured in this one." He gave her a hard glare and frowned. "All of you. Go back to the exams. There's nothing you can do, and you've all got other responsibilities."

Kakashi walked up to Sakura's side and put his hand on her shoulder. Shikamaru and Choji cringed back at the glare their instructor was giving them. They backed away from him.

Nara looked almost as horrified as Sakura. Choji was pale and shaking.

The girl looked up at her instructor as he kept a firm and gentle hand on her shoulder and led her away. Choji and Shikamaru staggered away ahead of him. He looked very serious. "Come on. You can't linger here, and Asuma needs to be alone for now."

Nara gasped. "Needs to be alone? Ino is..."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. She's in no condition to see any of you now. There's nothing you can do about it right now."

Choji looked angry and upset with him. "What? We're just supposed to go back?"

Sakura was shaking, she had her hands in front of her and hung her head between her shoulders. "I-I don't know if I can. I've got to do something!"

Her instructor spoke in a firm and gentle tone to all of them. "Yes. All of you have an exam to complete. I understand how you feel, believe me. However, all of you need to learn something from this."

Sakura looked up at him in horrified shock. She pulled away from him and backed against the wall. "What? Learn something? I killed..."

Kakashi was patient with all of them. Choji and Shikamaru froze in place and looked at her. "Yes. What if one of your teammates dies when you are on a mission? Do you think you will have time to stop and cry then? Even if it was your own mistake that killed them. You have to complete your mission, you've got to fulfill your duty."

The trio was all very pale and looked at the man with wide eyes and slacked jaws.

The gray haired man pulled his forehead protector off of his Sharingan and pointed to it. "Believe me, I know what it feels like. Don't ask me about it again, because I won't tell you. I gained this eye, when I lost a good friend, and a teammate. I still had to finish my mission, just as you should now. This is the life of a ninja. You must all be prepared for death, not just your enemies, but your friends as well."

Sakura and the two boys just stared at him with wide eyes. All of them looked very pale, and shook in what looked like shocked horror.

He covered his eye and started walking, leaving them standing there. "If you think you cannot continue, I won't stop you. If you cannot, then you should give up being a ninja. It's not for you, if you cannot deal with this, and finish what you have started." He stopped before he rounded the corner and hung his head. "There will be time to mourn, or see to her recovery later. Right now, there's nothing any of you can do. None of you are medical nin. You've got other responsibilities to see to, and you'll just be in the way if you try to see her. I said I wouldn't stop you from leaving, but if you go, stay away from Ino for now, just go home. I'll make sure you're informed when we have more information."

The trio watched him walk away in silence. All of them looked shocked, Sakura was hugging her shoulders and crying. Shikamaru was shaking and pale, and Choji was staring at the floor.

The tubby boy sniffled. "Ino..."

The kunoichi fell to her knees, shaking and sobbing. She ended up sitting on her heels and shaking in silence as she hugged her arms and rocked.

Shikamaru growled as he looked at his fist. He was pale and glanced at Choji. "Come on."

The boy looked at him in surprise. His friend was wiping his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked ahead of him a few feet. "What? You can't mean..."

Nara looked back at him. "Come or go. Kakashi is right, I'm going back. There's...nothing I can do anyway. I'm not going anywhere near Asuma sensei right now. I've never seen him like that before. I've got nothing else to do, and I don't want to sit around at home...just waiting." He hung his head and started back towards the arena.

Sakura let them both go and stayed on the floor looking at the puddle that her tears were forming below her knees. She sobbed and leaned over against the wall. "I...I'm sorry Ino. I-I never meant to..." She'd been horrible to her, some of the things she'd said stabbed at her heart and ran through her mind over and over.

The kunoichi belted her head against the wall. Her forehead protector kept it from being painful. She stood up and removed it. It was a little worn, and she could see a fuzzy reflection in the surface. A few teardrops fell on top of the leaf symbol. The girl leaned against the wall on her forehead, staring into the metal of the headband. "I..." She closed her eyes. "What can I do?"

With a scream of anguish and rage she slammed her fist into the wall. The bricks shattered under her fist. She pulled her palm away, and a few flecks of stone fell out of the crater she'd left. Her knuckles were red and bleeding a little, but she ignored it.

The girl backed away, and looked down the hall, first towards the exit, and then back towards the arena. "Ino..." She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched the headband. "I'm sorry." She looked towards the exit. "You'd better not die. I...I want...I want to see you pass this test." She slammed her fist into the wall again, this time it passed through the bricks up to her elbow. "I want to see you become strong. That's why I...forgive me."

She closed her eyes, forcing her tears back as best she could. She sniffled a little and gritted her teeth. Looking up towards the ceiling and taking a few deep breaths she did her best to calm down. She turned her eyes towards the exit. "I'll tell you myself. Don't you dare die, you brat." She faced the arena, put her forehead protector back on, and walked towards the finals again.

OooOOooOO

Sakura stood beside Naruto. Sasuke was making his way off the field. Her eyes were red, and it was obvious she'd been crying. She looked serious and focused. "Not going to ask?" Her voice was a little tense. The crowd was still cheering from the conclusion of the last match, but it was fading.

The boy glanced at her. "You don't look like you want to talk about it. If you do, I'll be glad to listen."

The girl nodded. "You're right." She turned and saw Shikamaru and Choji. Nara was looking out over the arena with a serious frown on his face his eyes looked distant, but somehow focused. The tubby boy was leaning against the railing with his head hung. Haruno turned her eyes towards the arena.

Sasuke walked up with his hands in his pockets. He didn't speak and frowned at Sakura and Naruto as he moved up beside them.

The girl looked at the field and didn't look at him. "I take it you won?"

"You weren't watching?" He seemed a little surprised, but didn't seem to care much.

The girl lowered her eyes. "I had something else to take care of. We're all still in it then? He did win, right?" Rock Lee was standing nearby, he looked worn, but only a little worse off than Sasuke.

Naruto spoke up just as Uchiha started to open his mouth. "By the skin of his teeth. I keep telling him about running his mouth, but he doesn't listen. He might have had an easier time of it if he'd just shut the hell up for once." He glanced at him and nodded at him. "Don't look so smug. You'd have got your ass handed to you if you'd just tried to take him head on and you know it."

Sasuke closed his mouth and growled a little, crossing his arms and turning his head away from them. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. Shut the hell up would you?"

Rock Lee looked a little worn, but he was standing with Ten Ten. He had his head hanging, Gai was standing next to him with his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Ten Ten gave him a grin. "You did well."

Gai nodded. "Yes. I am proud, you did your best. A worthy battle, and a great fight."

Lee gave a nod. "Thank you Gai sensei. I give you my word, I will train harder, and do better next time." He had tears in his eyes.

The man nodded as he let tears fall down his face and put his arm across the boy's shoulders. "I believe in you. Now, all we can do is cheer on our teammate. Let's do our best, and give her all the support we can!"

Lee nodded and stood up with his fist balled up and determination in his eyes. "Yes! Ten Ten! I shall give you my best and strongest cheer! I swear it!

"Yes! Youthful enthusiasm shall shine through again!" Gai joined Lee's proud pose.

Ten Ten gave a smirk and rolled her eyes as she turned away from them. She glanced at Shikamaru, and found the boy looking out at nothing with a serious frown on his face. She flushed a bit. "I guess it wasn't good news." Judging from his friend's expression, it was obvious. "She was a little bratty, but I wish her well."

Shikamaru didn't act like he'd heard her. Sakura had returned as well, she looked a bit disheveled, but was focused and serious looking. Ten Ten turned her eyes towards the field. "I don't think I'll have an easy time of it. I'll do my best, I won't lose."

The Sand trio was watching them all. Kankuro glanced at Gaara, the boy was ignoring everything.

Temari smirked at Lee. "That kid is stronger than I'd thought. Sasuke is impressive."

Kankuro frowned at her. "Who cares?"

The next match was announced. Genma called up to them. "Gaara, and Kankuro!"

The kabuki clad boy glanced at his teammate. Gaara didn't move. "I forfeit."

His brother gave a faint smirk and otherwise remained silent.

Temari didn't look very surprised. "Probably the smartest think you could have done."

Kankuro looked annoyed, but didn't argue.

Genma only seemed a bit surprised. "All right. To the next match then. Shikamaru and Ten Ten."

Nara seemed to snap back into reality and frowned. "Great. What a pain."

Ten Ten walked by him while leveling her eyes on his back. He took his time following her and shoved his hands in his pockets as he moved by.

Naruto gave a nod as he went by. "Good luck."

Shikamaru gave a rough snort and walked down the stairs.

OooOOooOO

Nara strolled out to face the impatient looking girl in the arena.

Ten Ten frowned. "Hurry up would you?"

The boy clicked his tongue. "What's the hurry? We've got plenty of time."

She narrowed her eyes at him and popped her neck. "I want to get started. I'm tired of just watching, and you're in the way of the fight I really want."

He gave a sigh. "What a pain. I would end up fighting a girl. How annoying."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "For that, I'll show you what pain is."

He rolled his eyes. "Jeeze, an impatient and pushy one at that." He rubbed at his shoulder. "I'm here now. Let's get this over with."

Ten Ten smirked. He seemed distracted and uninterested and that could work in her favor. "You're not taking me seriously. I'm gonna kick your ass."

The boy nodded and grumbled. "Yeah, yeah. I'd rather just relax, but I suppose I've got no choice."

From the waiting area above, Naruto chuckled. "Well, let's see how he handles this. Should be interesting. He's pretty smart."

Sakura nodded and stayed silent. Sasuke looked less than interested and moved back to rest against the wall. He was still a bit sore from his last match and sat down to relax for a few minutes. His next match was against that Sand kid. "Too bad. I was hoping to watch him fight before I had to face him."

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at his teammate and nodded. "Yeah. It would have been nice. I guess I'm lucky that way. Unless he gives up in the next match, I'll get to have a look."

Sasuke notice Gaara frown at the hooded nin. "Heh. I wouldn't count on it."

The blond nin nodded. "Yeah. Me either. He doesn't seem like the type. He's been watching the two of us pretty close. I'm not so sure I'm looking forward to it, but I'm sure a musclehead like you is. Heh."

Sasuke gave a frown and looked over at Gaara. "Yup. Still, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to be careful. He's got a bad look in his eyes."

Naruto looked serious. "Keep using your head like that, and you'll be all right."

Sasuke hung his head and settled in against the wall a little more. "Whatever. Just make sure Sakura doesn't kick your butt. I'd feel better about slapping you around later than her."

The girl didn't react, and both boys looked a bit surprised. Naruto glanced at her for a moment, and Sasuke decided to ignore it and hung his head to relax.

Haruno nodded her head towards the arena. "Hey. It's starting. You can worry about me when our match comes up."

Sasuke raised his head a little in response to that. He wasn't sure which of them she was talking to.

Naruto gave a nod and turned towards the fight. Something was different about Sakura. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad, but there was little he could do but wait and see. He looked towards Shikamaru and grinned a bit. "Let's see if that brain of his is good for something besides strategy games."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The exams continue...


	18. Chapter 18

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 18

The end of the Exams.

OooOOooOO

Shikamaru was leaning against the railing with a frown on his face. He was giving Sakura sour glances. He'd managed to defeat Ten Ten by the skin of his teeth. The match hadn't taken long.

Anywhere in the arena was within her throwing range. She was an expert with her throwing weapons, and able to toss them with decent accuracy at just about any place in the ring. Putting a bit of distance between them made them easier to dodge, but he couldn't hang back and wait, and she knew to keep her distance. She also wasn't going to run out before he got too tired to dodge. She was armed to the point that it was almost ridiculous. Her chakra abilities made it near impossible to get too close, or move out of range in the limited space.

There was a grove of trees along one edge of the arena. He'd drawn her into that place to find cover, and used the shadows to hide his attacks. It was a winning strategy for him, but he'd almost become a pin cushion just reaching it. He had a cut on his shoulder, one on his cheek, and a few smaller nicks on his legs and arms.

Even with cover, he'd had a bit of trouble losing her long enough to catch her shadow. Once he had, he just put one of her own kunai against her throat. He waited until she was about to toss one before catching her. His timing had to be perfect, and he had to reveal himself to her to get her to try. His hand had been empty, and she was still holding her weapon. He'd almost missed catching her in time and had nearly been stabbed in the chest at pretty close range. Genma put a stop to things after she'd ended up holding her own weapon against her jugular.

As it was, he'd just finished watching the Sand girl Temari treat Choji like a giant racket ball with that fan of hers. His next match would pit her against him. It had been painful to watch his friend's match, and the wall had several large dents in it now. Choji lost more because of motion sickness and getting dizzy than being hurt. His friend was sitting against the wall holding his stomach and not eating. He looked ill, and was feeling down for other reasons as well. He'd not seen Choji without a bag of food in his hands when it was available for that long ever.

Choji had done well, but he'd lost. He was worried about Ino still as well, but that wasn't what was really bothering him. Sakura was acting off, she'd congratulated him on his victory, and gotten odd glances from her teammates for it. She'd cheered for him from the waiting area, calling for him to kick the girl's 'sorry butt'. She'd come over to help him carry Choji to where he was leaning.

He didn't know her that well, but from the looks Naruto and Sasuke were giving her, he knew something was wrong. He moved back and sat against the wall with Choji. "Hey, that girl Sakura. She's acting weird."

The tubby boy looked a bit pale still. "Maybe she feels bad?" He wasn't pleased with her. "She's just trying to act nice. I won't forgive her. After what she did to Ino..."

Shikamaru frowned. "No. She's acting like Ino." He looked over and saw her hanging off Sasuke's back. She had a huge grin on her face and was rubbing her head against his neck.

Choji looked confused. "What? She killed her!"

Nearby, the raven haired boy shoved Sakura off his back and glared at her. "What the hell are you doing? Cut it out."

Naruto stepped between them. "Sakura. What's gotten into you?"

The girl pouted and glared at him. "Heh. We've got a fight, don't we? No way I'm gonna lose to you!" She stuck her tongue out and put her two fingers up in a 'V'. She was being very loud, and shook her hair and flicked her hand back to toss at her hair as if it was much longer than it was.

The hooded nin nodded. "Yeah. What's up with you?" He grabbed her by her shoulder and started pulling her towards the stairs. "You're being strange all of a sudden. Ever since you got back from checking on your friend."

Sakura glared at him and looked annoyed. "I'm not her friend! That huge fore...she's not even my rival. I'm her superior, in love and ninjutsu!" She lowered her eyes and clenched her fists.

Shikamaru stood up and frowned at the scene. Sasuke noticed his attention, but didn't speak up as he looked at Sakura and Naruto. "Shut up would you? When did you start being so loud and obnoxious? He's right, you're being strange, Haruno. Even for you."

Naruto gave a small snort. "Well, we've got our own fight to worry about." He thought to himself as he watched her almost bounce by him. "What the hell is with her?"

Shikamaru leaned towards Choji. "That's strange. It's weirding her friends out."

The tubby boy grunted and looked a bit irate. "So?"

Nara frowned at him. He walked over towards Naruto. "Uzumaki, I need a word with you."

The hooded nin was halfway down the stairs. "Huh? I can't talk right now." Sakura was already skipping her way onto the field.

The boy called down in a loud and alarmed tone, not caring who overheard. "Ino! Behind you! Look out!"

Sakura spun around with a kunai in her grip. She turned her eyes up towards the boy and frowned. "Huh?"

Naruto looked on as she staggered for a moment and put her palm up to her head. "What? What's with you, Shikamaru?"

Choji was shocked. "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

Nara glared at the kunoichi as she narrowed her eyes at him and turned back towards the arena center. "I thought so."

The hooded nin walked out onto the field. "Maybe you shouldn't fight? There's something wrong with you, Sakura."

She glowered at him, a rage formed in her eyes. "Worried, Uzumaki?"

Her teammate nodded. "Yes. It's not because I think I might lose either."

Shikamaru hopped down beside him. "Ino."

The pink haired girl turned her eyes towards him. "That isn't my name." She looked angry, but had regained her posture and calmed.

Genma stepped forward. "Nara, you need to leave the arena."

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. I just need to tell him something. It's important. I'm not planning on getting in the way."

Naruto glanced at the referee. "She's acting off." He turned his eyes towards Nara. "You know something about it?"

Sakura looked at the Jounin. "I'm fine." He looked at the two boys and shrugged.

Nara turned towards Naruto and spoke in a hushed tone. "Uzumaki, careful. That technique Ino used, the Shin ten shin, it allows the user to take over someone's body with their mind. When she broke the Shadow Clone jutsu she tricked Ino into, it almost killed her. I'm not sure, but I'm not so sure she's alone in there anymore." He tapped the side of his head as he said it. "Just, be careful." He walked off and onto the stairs.

Naruto nodded and kept his voice low. "You're right. She's been acting off since she came back from the clinic."

OooOOooOO

The Team Seven pair stood off in the middle of the ring. Sakura glared at the boy and clenched her fists. "Done with your meeting?"

The hooded nin nodded. "It's not important now."

"Then we'll get started!" Sakura charged him, she lashed out with her leg and spun it towards his head.

Naruto ducked it and tried to rush by her. He growled as his sword stopped cold. Haruno had stopped his scabbard with her palms. She gave him a wild looking grin and backhanded him in his face.

Uzumaki was sent sprawling on his back on the dirt. He jumped up, and ran towards her.

Sakura jumped over his head and shoved her fist into the dirt. It went into the ground up to her elbow, and she jerked Naruto out by his collar and reared back her fist. "I'm not that stupid!" Rather than punch him, she spun around and held him up in front of her.

The nin she'd gone over was swinging his sword at his own double's face. Haruno's triumphant grin was short lived, as the boy in her hands vanished. She ducked hard as soon as she felt her hands become empty and the attack missed by a hair's width. "It's not going to be that easy!" She kicked her leg out to sweep him and sent him onto his chest beside her.

Naruto rolled away as her foot slammed into the ground where he'd been and flipped on his hands before landing in a crouch about three feet away from her.

Sakura kept pressing. She knew if she lost sight of him, she'd have a much harder time winning the battle. She hooked a kick at his face and punched down to catch the top of his head as he ducked her leg.

The kunoichi gritted her teeth and grunted as her fist met the scabbard of his blade. He held it up with his palms and pushed her back. She shook off her wrist as she spun around and backhanded him in his face under the block with her other hand. Once again, Naruto was thrown back a few feet and landed in a roll. "Heh. I knew..." Her eyes went wide as the boy performed a few hand signs as he righted himself and vanished right in front of her. "What the? No way!" There was no cloud, no dust, no cover. He was just gone.

Behind her, Naruto seemed to flicker into existence. He appeared solid again, and the scabbard of his sword slammed into the back of her head.

Sakura landed face first in the dust. She pushed herself onto her elbows and jerked forward into a roll. Naruto had taken his sword out and tried to pin her down with the point of his blade. She'd managed to slip out of the way, rolled over, and tossed three kunai at him.

The boy growled in frustration as he knocked them away with the flat edge of his sword and jumped back while putting it away. "Heh. You've improved more than I thought." Before, he could have counted on one or two missing. All three had been dead on target. He became a blur of motion as he charged again.

Sakura crossed her arms in front of her belly to block his covered sword strike as he tried to rush by her. She vanished right in front of him as her clone broke. "Huh?"

Naruto's eyes went wide as the girl burst from the ground and slammed her fist into his jaw. He was thrown into the air and back, landing in the dirt hard on his back.

Sakura chuckled as she dove down at him from above with two kunai in her hands. "I have you!" It was his real body, a clone would have vanished.

Two arms hooked under her widespread arms as she landed over Uzumaki. The boy's mask hid his smirk as she was thrown back into the dirt as two of his clones managed to snag her arms on either side of her in mid air. He stood up and vanished from sight again.

Sakura kicked the two clones that had blind sided her away and they landed on their backs and dispersed. The fall had been an easy one, and hadn't even hurt her. She knew it was more to make her lose sight of the real him than an attack. "Damn." She was on her feet, and found herself alone. "I've got to get him to show himself." She spun around several times, watching the area all around her as best she could, and kicking up dust in her wake.

"Show yourself!" she called out over the arena. "You coward!"

No one answered her. She knew it wouldn't work, and wasn't sure why she'd done it in the first place. Naruto was patient, calm, and he was working out what to do to her. He was waiting for his moment to strike. It sent a shiver down her spine. Her lips turned up as she looked over her shoulder.

Naruto was standing behind her, his hand was on his sword behind his shoulder, and he wasn't moving.

The pink haired kunoichi chuckled. "Something wrong, Uzumaki?"

Her opponent remained still and gave a small growl. She turned with her kunai in her grip and twirled it around her finger. "I've got you now." She reared back her arm. "If you don't admit defeat! I'm going to put this between your eyes! You can't move!"

The hooded nin shook a little for a moment. "I...can't believe, you think I'm this stupid."

Sakura looked confused for a moment. "Wha?" She saw something flying at her face, took a shot dead in the center of her forehead, and landed on her back. She just looked up at the sky as she felt a blade across her throat.

Naruto was kneeling down beside her, outside of the range of her jutsu. "You didn't think I'd notice that your hair was shorter?" He couldn't reach her within the sphere of her hair jutsu. She'd used her foot to spread the hair she'd cut off around herself, creating a ring that was just outside the reach of his sword. He'd used a Shadow Clone to get her attention, and threw his empty scabbard like a spear, nailing her in the forehead. He'd broken his clone jutsu at the last moment, and she'd not had enough time to dodge.

The kunoichi turned her eyes away from him and growled. "Damn."

Genma ended the fight. Naruto let her up and pulled her to her feet after offering his hand. She took it, and looked a little annoyed.

The boy didn't speak to her. "When did she learn that jutsu? That was the one Ino used in...I see." He glanced up at Shikamaru as he walked back to the waiting area.

Sakura rushed by him and jumped on Sasuke's back. "Good luck, Sasuke!" She was hugging him and irritating him a great deal and being very exuberant.

"Hey! I'll be fine! Let go!" He growled as he pushed her off and moved towards the arena.

Naruto grabbed his shoulder and kept him from moving by. "Don't forget, if you lose now, you won't be able to slap me around."

Uchiha gave a small chuckle. "There's no way I'll let that happen."

Gaara looked on for a moment, vanished and appeared in the middle of the ring in a small whirlwind.

Naruto walked by as she leaned on the railing and cheered down at him. "Go Sasuke! Kick his butt! You're the greatest!"

Shikamaru kept his eyes on the center of the ring where the Sand nin and Sasuke were facing off. "You see what I mean?"

The hooded nin gave a nod. "Yeah. I think I get it. She used Ino's technique. I'm not sure she realizes it." He glanced over as Choji frowned at the pair.

"What are you two talking about?"

Shikamaru glanced at him. "That girl Sakura. She's got Ino's mind still."

Naruto looked at him. "Maybe. Shadow Clones are useful for spying. When you break the jutsu, you remember what the clone experienced as if you'd done it yourself. If that girl's mind was in her clone, who knows what might have happened?"

Choji gave the girl a frown. "Huh? Is that bad? What's going on?"

Nara looked at him. "We're not sure yet."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "This could be bad."

Shikamaru frowned. "We'll need to see Ino first. She's at the hospital, and we won't be able to see her before the exams end anyway."

Naruto looked over at the both of them. "I'll keep an eye on her. She's out of the matches now anyway. Let me know what you've learned about this later."

Nara gave a serious nod. "Yeah. Even if I'm wrong, and Ino is fine. It might not be good for Sakura. I'll let you know after I've seen her again."

The tubby boy growled. "What do we care?"

Naruto glanced at him and shrugged. "If he's right, we might need Sakura to help your friend. If she's really got her mind still, that would mean it's not in your friend Ino's body anymore."

Choji looked up at him with his jaw hanging. "Huh?"

Nara nodded. "He's right. We don't know yet though."

Naruto turned to walk away. "Even if we're right. There's nothing we can do right now. We'll need help no matter what. We should learn all we can, and then find out what we can do later. For now, the best thing we can do is learn all we can. The more information we've got, the better the chances we can do something about it later." He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Any chance Ino taught her that jutsu she tried to paralyze me with?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "No. It's a Yamanaka family technique. You saw how she used it. It's something they use for holding people in place for the Shin ten shin and similar techniques."

A moment later Uzumaki was standing next to his teammate. "Are you all right?"

She looked irate with him. "I'm fine. You didn't break me."

He glanced at her. "That's not what I mean. Where did you learn that Jutsu you used to paralyze my clone? You've never used it before."

The girl glanced at him. "My mother. It's a family jutsu."

Naruto gave a small nod. "Just curious." He turned his eyes towards Sasuke and Gaara and thought to himself. "This isn't looking good. I hope that girl is all right, this could be a problem either way though." It was as he said though, and there wasn't anything he could do about it at the moment. There was no reason to bring it up now, and he thought it would be best to talk with Kakashi about it as soon as the exams were over.

OooOOooOO

The crowd was bustling with excitement. Naruto had surprised a great many people in the crowd, and Sasuke's fight with Rock Lee had impressed as well. The fight before them was the reason many of those present had come. It was seen as the main event by a majority of those gathered.

Sasuke chuckled as his opponent glared at him. "Well, aren't you friendly?"

Gaara just looked at him with his arms crossed.

Genma gave the signal to begin. Sasuke charged forward.

His opponent just stood in place and didn't bother moving. As Uchiha lashed out with his foot in a kick, he gasped. "Huh?"

A wall of sand had appeared in front of him. He punched with his fist, lashed out with his feet, and sent a barrage of attacks at the sand that flowed out of the gourd on the boy's back and into the air, blocking the strikes.

Gaara's eyes went a little wide as he saw Sasuke's feet and hands grow closer to his face than he was used too. The sand was stopping his attacks, but only just in time. His arms uncrossed a little and he growled.

Just as he started to step towards Sasuke, something he'd not felt in many years happened. His jaw exploded in pain and his head turned. Uchiha was forced to jump back as sand swarmed towards him after he'd landed a blow from the side.

Gaara staggered and clutched at his face. "He's...fast." The wall of sand appeared over his head. Sasuke bounced off of it and landed nearby. The Sand nin gave a small chuckle. "Heh. I see."

There were two of Sasuke. One standing on either side of him. "Damn. Sand? What the hell is this?"

The Sand nin frowned at him. "So, your speed is just an illusion."

The twins became a blur, the sand spun around Gaara deflecting several blows. The Sand nin jumped back as two shuriken hit the ground where he'd been standing. As he landed, a foot slammed across his jaw and sent him flying into the wall.

Sasuke was in front of him as the sand helped the redhead to his feet and kept his opponent back by shielding him. "Not really."

Gaara looked angry and frowned at his opponent. "I see." He strolled out of the crater in the wall his impact had made and raised his hand.

Sasuke flipped away as the sand shot towards him. It made spikes and tried to wrap around him, forcing him to perform acrobatic flips to move out of the way. "Heh."

Gaara growled as he strolled forward. He blinked in surprise as he felt a strong blow under his jaw. The Uchiha boy had erupted from the ground and slammed his foot straight up into his jaw, sending him into the air. As he hung suspended in the air, Sasuke appeared behind him. "T-this attack?"

The raven haired Leaf Genin gave him several strong blows in the air, and came down with his foot across the boy's gut as they landed. He hopped away and frowned as he glared at the Sand nin in the hole he'd made. "Heh. I'll bet that hurt. Don't tell me you're done."

"Done? Why would you think that? It didn't hurt all that much to be honest."

Sasuke gasped as he jumped away. The sand from Gaara's gourd reached for him, and his enemy had appeared right behind his back as the figure in the crater crumbled into sand as if it was a broken porcelain statue. "What? He...some kind of body switching technique?"

Gaara had a dangerous look in his eyes. Sasuke was fast enough to dodge his sand and kept out of reach. "How long can you run? Soon I'll catch you, and then you'll just die!"

Uchiha growled as he tossed a few kunai, the sand plucked them out of the air.

The Leaf nin appeared behind him again and gave a smirk. "I don't need to run!"

The Sand nin shielded himself with his arms as the sand protecting him exploded and dispersed. "What? Explosive notes?" He felt a hard blow to his gut, and clutched at his face as he rolled aside from a slashing arm.

Sasuke's eyes had changed. The Shanringan was looking the Sand nin down as he turned and growled in anger. There was a little blood seeping through his fingers. "What?" His opponent was holding a kunai in his grip and flicked the blood off the tip onto the ground as he glared him down.

Gaara growled as his eyes became enraged. "Blood. I want his blood. Yes mother...take back what he took from me...more than he took from me...all of it...all of his blood!"

Sasuke looked shocked as the sand wrapped around his body. The kunai in his grip clattered away as Gaara glared at him in a complete rage. "Just die!" He closed his fist as he raised his hand up.

Uchiha was engulfed in sand. His eyes were wide as he saw the boy motion with his hand. Red seeped through the grains and the sand seemed to implode.

Gaara laughed in a mad angry way as he watched. He looked at his shoulder, stopped laughing, and screamed. A kunai knife was embedded in his arm. He fell to his knees. He gasped and had a panicked look in his eyes. He'd never felt anything like it before.

Sasuke was standing nearby with another one reared back. "Heh. He's easy to distract." He was using clones to draw the sand away from the boy, and rushing in to attack while he was vulnerable while it was occupied. Gaara fell to his knees and the kunai his opponent threw hit another wall of sand. This time, the barrier didn't fall away. "Huh?"

Gaara was encased in a ball of sand.

OooOOooOO

Kankuro watched with a nervous frown on his face. "No. This is bad!"

Temari looked on and looked just as worried. "He's having conversations. What is he doing?"

Kankuro just watched, unable to do anything. "He won't see the signal. He's not really using that jutsu now is he?"

The girl growled. "The plan. What do we do?"

Their instructor frowned. "Stay calm."

Kankuro glanced at him. "I've never seen Gaara take a hit like that before. He's been injured. I don't know what he'll do."

Temari glanced at him. "He'll kill the one who did it. Look, it's the third eye. He's lost it. I don't think he cares much about the plan anymore."

None of them noticed Naruto turn his head towards them a little for a moment. He stayed silent, and kept his thoughts to himself. "Plan?" He turned his eyes towards the man sitting with the Hokage and narrowed his eyes a little before speaking in a quiet tone. "Something isn't right."

Sakura glanced at him. "Huh?"

He kept his voice low. "Stay on guard. I think there's something going on." Sasuke was taking strikes at the sand ball, and had almost been impaled by several spikes that shot out at him from it's surface as he attacked.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke was panting for breath and looking at the ball in front of him. "Heh. Well, looks like I'm gonna have to show my ace. I knew this guy was strong, but this is..." He jumped back and rushed away. He landed against the wall and stuck in place, after a moment he lowered his hand and performed a jutsu.

Gai looked on from the stands with Kakashi and gasped. "Huh? That's..."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. The reason I took Sasuke for training alone, is that he's the same type as me."

"Well, that might be useful later. Sensei, something is up."

Kakashi looked at the man who had moved up next to him and arched his eyebrow. "Naruto?"

The man's eyes gave his identity away. "Quiet down. Those Sand nin are up to something. I heard them talking about some sort of plan, and a signal of some sort. I think there's something going on here. They're worried that Gaara kid is screwing it up somehow."

Gai narrowed his eyes and looked at the disguised Genin. "What?" He looked over at the three Sand nin in the waiting area for the tournament. "Baki?"

Kakashi gave a nod. "Gai, we should be ready. I've a feeling he's right."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke charged down the wall and shot forward like a bullet at top speed. He was moving as fast as Lee without his weights with a hand full of glowing chakra.

Sakura gasped. "Wow! What is that?" It was making a bird like noise, as if hundreds were chirping.

Naruto grunted looking unimpressed. "Fast, loud, and his arm is glowing purple. Jeeze. That flashy dope."

Two of Sasuke impacted the sand ball on two sides. They were arm deep in the shell and glaring at it.

Kankuro gasped as he looked on with his shocked team. "No way!"

Temari stammered. "H-he got through? It can't be!"

One of the Leaf Genin vanished, the other tugged on his arm and grunted. He narrowed his eyes and screamed as power seemed to flow down his arm for a moment.

From inside the ball there was a loud screaming. "Blood! My blood! It's...it's my blood!" Gaara had never taken a hit like that before. He was bleeding badly inside the ball of sand, and struggling to deal with it. He'd never seen or felt any of his own blood before, never mind so much of it. He was panicked and sounded afraid and angry.

Uchiha managed to rip his arm free of the shell and jumped back. "What the?" Some kind of clawed arm reached out after him as he pried himself free. In the hole in front of him, he saw some sort of eye, an inhuman and monstrous thing, glaring at him in anger.

The sand fell away from Gaara, both of his arms were hanging at his sides and both his shoulders were bloodied. His eyes were wide and he was gasping for breath with sweat pouring down his face. He fell to his knees and looked up at Sasuke.

The Leaf nin looked on in confusion. "No...not those eyes..."

In the waiting area Sakura looked up at the sky. "Huh? Feathers?"

On the other side of the stadium, Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Gai looked over at him. "Kakashi, this is..."

The man nodded. "Yeah. Genjutsu."

Naruto looked confused. "Huh? What? What are you talking about? I don't see anything."

Gai looked surprised for a moment, but Kakashi put his hand on Maito's shoulder to get his attention and keep him focused. "Don't worry about him."

The two men made hand seals and called out "Kai!" at the same time. The hooded nin looked around as everyone sitting in the stands started to slump over, except for several nin doing the same thing as Gai and Kakashi. Sakura was able to do the same thing and defend against it as well.

Genma, Sasuke, and Gaara were unaffected, as well as the other Sand nin.

Naruto stood up and looked around. "Nine others." His disguise vanished, and there were about four of him sitting around the stadium.

Gai looked surprised as the boy stood up and looked back at them. "Come on. It seems it's time for us to fight."

OooOOooOO

In the private seats, Hokage looked at Kazekage. Two sand nin appeared on either side of the man. "Shall we?"

"Old man! Look out!"

The Kazekage growled. "What?!" One of his two men produced a detonator switch and set it off.

Naruto landed in between the Hokage and the Sand Kage as the area in front of the booth exploded and sent a cloud of smoke and dust into the air. The Kazekage lashed out, knocking the boy off his feet hard. "You little! Die!" Blood flew from the hooded nin's lips as he hit the side of the Hokage's chair hard enough to shatter the stone. The young nin vanished in a puff of smoke.

The enemy Kage reached out and rushed forward growling in rage. "No!" Two more of the boy were jumping out of the booth towards the arena with the old man by his arms. His arm lashed out and three snakes shot out of his sleeve. One of the hooded nin was bitten on the neck, arm, and leg as he was pulled free from the old man's side, but the other made it over the edge with Sarutobi.

The old man glanced at the young nin as they both landed. "Uzumaki. I am grateful, but you should leave this to me."

Naruto nodded. "Come on, regardless of who does what, we should put some distance between us." He started towards Sasuke and the Sand trio with the Hokage at his side. "We should regroup and collect ourselves. I hate surprise attacks. They suck."

The Hokage nodded. "Indeed."

OooOOooOO

The Sand trio looked on. Baki growled. "Damn, he missed." He looked at his students. "Gaara, the plan..."

Temari and Kankuro were both looking worried. The girl spoke up. "No. He's experiencing side effects. He can't do it."

Her brother growled and looked at their leader. "What are we supposed to do? Do it without Gaara?"

Baki looked at Genma. The man was standing between him and Sasuke. "Abort the mission. You guys take Gaara and retreat."

Kankuro looked shocked. "What about you?"

The man glared at them. "I'll join the battle. Now go!" The Genin jumped away carrying Gaara between them.

Genma looked at the remaining Sand nin. "Is the leader of this party Orochimaru?"

The enemy nin grinned. "Who knows? Let's join the fun."

Sasuke was annoyed. "What's going on?"

Genma frowned. "The exams are over. You go and pursue Gaara and the others. You're a Chunin level already. If you're a Leaf shinobi, then make yourself useful."

Sasuke started to turn away.

"Uchiha, don't you dare obey such a boneheaded order!" Naruto landed beside Genma and frowned at him.

The man glanced at him with anger in his eyes. Baki left and rushed away as Genma kept himself in front of the Genin. He turned to look at the hooded nin. "What the hell are you doing? I gave an..."

Another of the blond nin was heading towards them with the Hokage at his side, he turned to glare at the man. "Are you fucking retarded? The village is under attack, and you want him to run off after three Genin who are retreating? Shut the hell up! We've got to defend the village. Going after them won't help with that! They're retreating, and they aren't a threat!"

Sakura jogged up next to them. "What's going on?" She looked at her teammates. "Everyone passed out! There was some sort of Genjutsu attack!"

A figure in black robes with a hat similar to the Hokage landed opposite them all. Kazekage strolled from the remains of the booth with murder in his eyes. He was flanked by four nin in cloaks and masks with the symbol for Sound on their foreheads.

The Kazekage pointed at Naruto. "Boy, you are so dead."

Sarutobi glared at him. "I'll deal with this one. He's too much for any of you."

Naruto nodded towards the men flanking Kazekage. "Hey, I guess that means we play with his friends then."

Sasuke glanced up at the stands. "Kakashi sensei and Gai sensei are still awake."

Genma nodded and glanced at Naruto. "Yeah. They seem kind of busy though."

"Well, we can't run away. I guess we fight then." Sakura put up her fists and frowned.

Naruto gave a small sigh. "Let's not get ourselves killed. I'm guessing these guys are pretty strong." He looked at the Hokage. "Don't worry old man, we'll keep them busy and out of your way."

One of the men flanking him chuckled.

The Kazekage spoke to his minions. "If the one in the hood survives, you'll all regret it. He's gotten in my way one time too many. Kill him, even if it means letting the others escape."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he noticed the enemy Kage look at him and narrow his eyes a little. "I don't like that look."

The Sand Kage nodded at him. "I want Uchiha alive. We've got plans for him later."

Sasuke looked surprised. "That guy...you're working with that Orochimaru jerk!"

Sakura was in front of him. "Those Sound nin from before. They were after you." He looked annoyed with her for a moment, but didn't speak up.

Hokage kept his eyes on the Kazekage. He looked frustrated and saddened more than angry. "It's not too late to stop this. We should negotiate our differences peacefully, not bring death and war to our people."

The man shook his head. "No, it's time for the stupid fighting games to end. From here on, history changes..."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Assault on Konoha!


	19. Chapter 19

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 19

Assault on Konoha

OooOOooOO

The Hokage glared at the man before him. The three Genin from Team Seven stood behind him with Genma beside them. "I knew this day would come. Tell me, what is it you hope to accomplish, Orochimaru?"

Sakura gasped and turned her eyes towards the Kazekage as he pulled his own face off. "What?" Naruto was beside her with his hand on his sword blade, watching the four men behind the man.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and growled. He was holding his side and looked a little winded. He was still worn out a little from his battle with Gaara, and more than half of his chakra was gone. "Damn."

The leader of the Sound nin chuckled as he revealed himself and tossed his disguise behind him. "I told you you should hurry up and choose the Fifth, because, you're going to die here, Sarutobi sensei."

The old man seemed calm and relaxed. "I don't know how many times I've told you, it's not over until it's over."

Genma glanced at the three Genin. "Hang back. Not even I would attack that guy. Hokage is the only one who can take him. Worry about his friends. We'll have our hands full."

Naruto didn't take his eyes off the four nin. They were all looking right at him. "Sakura, they're focused on me. That Orochimaru guy told them all to come after me. Take Sasuke and get him away from here, get back to the waiting area and break that Genjutsu on the rest of the Genin."

Sasuke snarled. "No way! I'm not leaving!"

The girl frowned at him and forced his arm around her shoulders. "Shut up! He's right! You've got no chakra left and you'll be in the way more than you'll help." She looked up at the stands, Kakashi and Gai were standing with one of Naruto's clones surrounded by nine nin. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

Genma gave a nod. "Sounds like a plan. I'll cover those two while you distract them. Don't get yourself killed."

Naruto drew his blade and nodded. "I don't plan on it." He moved to the right, passing behind Sarutobi and Orochimaru. Two of the four nin with the Sound leader started walking towards him. The other two started towards the group.

Orochimaru glanced over at the group moving towards the exit to the arena. "Don't make me repeat myself. I gave you an order, let them go. I'll be seeing Uchiha soon enough, and they're no concern to us. There's nothing up there but a few pathetic Genin. Kill that brat, he's more bothersome than any of them. He'd better not escape."

Sarutobi frowned as the two nin moving after Genma and the two children froze in place and moved towards Naruto. The hooded nin was backing away and leading them towards the grove on one side of the arena.

OooOOooOO

Kakashi flipped into the air and carved a gash into two of the attacking nin's necks with his kunai. Naruto dashed under him and between the two dead bodies cutting a third in half at the waist as he tried to catch his instructor in mid air. The young Genin bounced off the wall and cleaved the head off another who was moving up behind him. He landed and gasped as he crouched to avoid the strike of another enemy who had jumped behind him with a knife poised to strike over his head.

Gai appeared with his fist in the nin's gut, pushing him through the concrete wall and leaving a large hole in his wake. "Well, I've got to admit I'm impressed."

Kakashi finished a spinning kick and knocked one of the enemy in front of him into two of his companions sending them tumbling into the seats. He crossed his arms and ignored the one moving up behind him. Naruto flickered into existence behind the sneaky nin and stabbed him through his back.

Gai planted the last of them head first into the concrete.

The three Kakashi had pushed back were starting to recover and were spreading out to face the trio. "Naruto, behind you."

The boy whirled around, taking a palm strike in his chest as he tried to slash. A nin in an ANBU mask stepped out as Kakashi and Gai took care of the last three opponents with little trouble. He took off his mask and grinned at the pair. "Well. It seems things aren't going quite as planned." It was Kabuto. The spy pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose a little more.

Kakashi nodded. "You shouldn't be surprised."

Kabuto gave a small chuckle. "I suppose not. Plans usually don't survive once the enemy is encountered. You should realize that boy is going to die. The Sound Four is more than enough to kill him."

Gai grinned and his teeth sparkled. "Konoha's powerful and youthful spirit won't be broken so easily! What is it you hope to accomplish?"

The spy shook his head. "Me? Nothing, my part in this game is finished. Right now, the village is being assaulted by our forces, the Third will die, and our dreams are realized." He tossed his cloak at the pair blocking himself from view. When it landed, he was gone.

Kakashi kicked at the fallen cloak. "Slippery one."

Gai nodded. "Look. The Hokage is in danger! Come! We can't linger here!"

The pair rushed to the arena's edge and hopped over the side.

OooOOooOO

Naruto rushed into the wooded area of the arena. He skidded to a stop as he found himself surrounded by four nin. They tossed their cloaks away, revealing a large man with a mohawk, a slim man with gray hair, a redheaded kunoichi, and a dark haired man with a short ponytail.

The woman spoke up. "Huh. Fucking punk. The four of us to kill this little piece of trash?"

The gray haired man chuckled. "We'll have some fun then. Though, I admit, it is a bit much."

The large nin growled. "Enough! I'm hungry!"

Naruto knew he was in trouble and looked about at the four of them, they had him boxed in. "Shit."

The largest of them put his hands onto the ground. "Earth prison dome of magnificent nothingness!" He chuckled as a dome of earth surrounded the boy. He lumbered forward and put his hands on the wall. "Yummy."

"Jirobo! You fat fuck!" The redhead seemed annoyed.

"Shut up, Tayuya! Why must you be so cruel?" He glared at her and kept his hands on the dome.

The gray haired nin gave a snort. "That was pointless. Hurry up and drain him, I want to play with him when you're finished. Leave that little piece of trash with enough to feel it when I kill him."

The dark haired man crossed his arm. "Sakon, why waste our time on this low level trash? We don't have time for this. It was a waste of our time. I feel like I'm grinding on level one trash. Just kill him already, we've got somewhere else to be."

The redhead looked over her shoulder towards Orochimaru and Sarutobi. "I hate to admit it, but that fucking basement dwelling pimple farm Kidomaru is right."

The man glared at her. "Hey. I don't have zits you bad tempered twat!"

Tayuya snorted and crossed her arm. "Jeez, how much can you eat? Hurry it up! How can it take you so long to eat one meal with a mouth that size?"

"Stop fighting! We're supposed to be a team!" Jiboro growled as he seemed to concentrate on what he was doing a little more. "Somethings not right. I'm not getting anything."

A voice from a nearby tree branch caught their attention. "I thought you guys were supposed to be killing me? You're just standing around a huge pile of dirt and running your mouths. I could have gotten away by now."

The group turned to look up at the hooded nin crouching on a branch a short distance away from them.

Tayuya glared up at him. "You'll regret that you didn't run now."

Sakon chuckled. "Heh. Well, he's a sneaky one isn't he?"

The hooded nin hopped down and ran further into the small grove. "Catch me if you can idiots!"

Kidomaru moved after him. "Get back here you little punk!"

Inside the dome of earth, Naruto chuckled as he listened in to what was going on outside. There was some kind of chakra field inside the walls of the dome that felt like it was trying to pull at something from within him. He felt it vanish and started his ninjutsu. A moment later, the dome fell away. "I was sure I had him!" Jiboro glared at the empty space and slammed his fist into his palm.

"Idiot. How could you not notice missing that obnoxious trash?" Tayuya seemed disgusted.

Sakon glanced at her. "You didn't notice him getting away either."

The girl frowned at her. "Fuck it, let's find him before that dumbass Kidomaru loses him too."

None of them noticed the invisible boy slip off out of the tree line and back into the arena. He had about five clones running about, he'd lost one with Kakashi and Gai, but there were still three more running about the stands. He was planning on keeping the Sound nin chasing their own tails for as long as he could.

OooOOooOO

Ryu narrowed his eyes as he looked on at the scene from outside the village. He was standing on a tree branch with Ken beside him, looking out over the scene. Masara and Koruma were sitting next to them. Naruto's son was in Ken's arms.

Ken looked over his shoulder. "Send a green flare to signal when it's safe to come back. If I need to leave because things are too bad, send a red one."

Ryu gave a serious nod. "I'll go back to the village and do what I can. This is a mess." There were lots of forces storming the walls, and three giant snakes were tearing down one of the walls, with forces pouring in through the damage.

Ken nodded. "You're staying with me. I want to make sure I've got someone to keep an eye on Kitsuma if there's trouble while I take care of it." He looked at Masara.

Koruma glanced up at Ryu. "You're going to find the Boss?"

The man shook his head. "I'm going to help in the village a bit first. Naruto should be fine. He's well trained, but I am planning on finding him before this is over."

The kitsune nodded. "I'll be along. Go on ahead without me. I'm going to pick up a few friends from the woods." He looked at his companion. "Masara, be careful. Make sure the Prince is safe. I'll send someone to make sure the Boss is all right too."

The three tails gave a serious looking nod. "Of course. They won't find us."

Ryu and Koruma hopped off their perch and moved towards the village.

Ken looked at Masara. "Well?"

The fox let his tongue hang out. "We'll be fine just waiting here. I can use my illusions to hide us no problem."

The shinobi looked over his shoulder and into the woods behind them. "That may not be wise. I'm trained to be invisible. I'm to understand that some of the nin here can sense that sort of thing."

Masara chuckled. "Nah. I'm a Kitsune. It's not the same sort of thing with my kind. We'll be fine. I haven't lived four hundred years for nothing you know. No nin can sense one of my illusions, it's not Genjutsu like the nin use for stuff like this. Natural chakra and all, no problem."

His companion seemed to relax a little more. "All right. Forgive me if I stay on guard anyway."

The fox settled down. "Yeah. No offense taken."

Kitsuma gave a small whimper as he looked towards the village from the man's arms.

Masara looked up at him. "Don't worry young Prince. The Boss will be just fine." He chuckled and looked down at the forest floor. There was a lot of movement below. "Heh. This should be fun. I'm kind of sorry I'm gonna miss it." He scratched at his ear with his hind leg. "At least we've got a good view from up here."

OooOOooOO

Sarutobi stood off against his former student. He tossed his hat and robe aside, revealing a helmet and black nin uniform. "You've got no goals, you're not the type to act purely on revenge. What is it you want? What does young Sasuke have to do with this?"

Orochimaru seemed pleased. "Ah, to fight you again."

The pair charged each other, the Hokage tossed a single shuriken and performed a jutsu with his hands. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" When he finished, there were hundreds flying towards his opponent.

Orochimaru finished his jutsu as well. Two coffins erupted from the ground in front of him.

"No! I've got to do something about the third!" He used his hands to try and cancel the jutsu.

"Heh." They shielded him from the barrage of shuriken. Only two of them managed to come up.

Sarutobi slid to a halt in front of the boxes as they opened. "Damn. Of all the ones he would summon, these two..."

Orochimaru chuckled as the two boxes opened. Two dead looking men climbed out of them. One with long white hair, the other with long dark hair.

The old man narrowed his eyes. "The First, and Second Hokage!"

"What's going on?"

"Hokage!"

Several nin in masks and gray and black uniforms, each with a sword on their back landed around him. They sounded alarmed as they spoke and seemed to realize what was going on.

"The village is under attack!"

"Orochimaru!"

Sarutobi glanced around. "Stay back! All of you! This is my fight!" He looked at the two bodies and they both spoke to him.

"Well, it's been a long time, eh Monkey?" The Second seemed amused.

"Sarutobi, you've grown old!" The First greeted him as well.

The old man gave a nod. "It is regrettable, I didn't expect to see the two of you in this world. Please make your preparations to be defeated."

Orochimaru pulled out two kunai with jutsu notes attached to them and placed them against the necks of the two corpses. "Heh. Enough with the old folks chatter." He jumped back and skidded across the dirt as a black blur dashed between him and the pair.

"Hey ugly, watch your step." Naruto put his sword on his back and smirked.

"Uzumaki? What are you doing?" Sarutobi looked shocked.

Orochimaru froze as he heard a switch click under his foot. "What?" He became a blur as a massive explosion threw the two bodies flat on their faces and sent the coffins tumbling away on either side of the Hokage as he raised his arms to shield himself from the blast. The serpent nin came down behind Naruto and stabbed the clone in it's back, breaking the jutsu. "Those idiots! He should be dead by now!"

"Get him!" The Anbu rushed forward towards the serpent man.

"You'll all die!" Orochimaru growled as he turned to face them.

"Get back!" Sarutobi appeared before his former student after slamming a long thick pole into his face, sending him sprawling across the dirt on his back. The Anbu froze and he turned to glare at him. "Go, into the village! Protect Konoha! I'll handle this one! I am still Hokage, and he is beyond any of you!"

Orochimaru glared at the two bodies. "What are you doing? Attack him!"

The First crossed his arms. "Why should we?" He stepped back putting a little distance between himself and the fight.

The Second nodded and did the same. "Agreed. We cannot harm the one who summoned us, but we have no desire to fight my former student."

The Sound nin looked at the two kunai with the notes attached in his hands. "No! That brat...he..." His eyes went hard as he glared at the old man. The two animated bodies were spread out, and had put enough distance between them that catching them both while fighting Sarutobi would prove near impossible. "Damn it."

OooOOooOO

Genma glanced over his shoulder and cringed a little from the jolt of a nearby explosion. "What the?" He grinned. "ANBU! Great!"

Sasuke shoved him aside and thrust a kunai forward stabbing a Sand nin who was diving for the man in his gut and cut him near in half. "Look out! Pay attention!"

Sakura was leaning over Lee. "Kai!" She tapped his back with her fingers and the boy's eyes fluttered open.

"Huh? What happened? Sakura! I..." He blushed and tried to grab her hands.

The girl jerked them away. "Not now! The village is under attack!"

The boy looked shocked. "What?" He ducked as an enemy nin appeared behind him, and the attacking nin promptly fell forward with a long needle in his throat.

Genma frowned at Sakura as he put another one in his mouth from his pocket. "Just hurry it up would you? It's getting a bit hectic." He looked towards the woods in the arena. "There's something going on in there as well." A loud roar sounded from within the trees and a bit of dust could be seen rising from the treetops. "What the hell?"

Sasuke kicked Shikamaru in the ribs. "Hey. Get up! What are you doing just lying there?"

The boy gave a painful sounding grunt as he sat up and rubbed his head while looking annoyed. "I didn't want to get attacked. What's going on anyway?"

Sakura tapped Choji on his back, and Ten Ten was rubbing the back of her head next to him looking dazed and confused. The large boy woke up and grunted as he sat up and frowned.

Genma looked about the group. "Come on. All of you, Konoha is under attack! The Sand nin and Sound nin have joined forces to attack the village."

The group aside from Sasuke and Sakura looked shocked.

Sakura frowned as she looked over at the woods. "That's everyone. Come on! Naruto..."

Lee hooked his foot across a Sound nin's jaw as he appeared in front of the girl to attack. Four more surrounded the group.

Shikamaru frowned. "Looks like we've got problems of our own."

OooOOooOO

Naruto hopped over a long and disgusting line of sticky fluid that shot by just in front of him. "Great. I can't keep this up long!"

The Kunoichi was standing back with a flute in her hands. "Don't let him get away!" She brought the instrument to her lips and started to play.

The young nin ducked as one of the three large demons she'd summoned a few moments before swung a heavy club over his head and slammed it into a tree, sending it toppling over. "Shit!" Their eyes, and mouths were sewn shut. He pushed back with his feet and flipped over just before his rear landed in the dust.

The gray haired nin seemed to appear before him. "My, you're a slippery one!" He lashed out with his fist, and the boy was sent flying back. The fat one tried to grab him out of the air as he flew by, but he vanished as his hand closed around his head.

Jirobo growled. "What? A shadow clone?"

Tayuya pulled the pipe from her lips and snapped. "What? That trash...he's been..." Her eyebrow was twitching and her eyes became bloodshot.

Sakon clenched his fist. "He's been running us around in circles!"

Kidomaru glanced over his shoulder. "This is bad. We're supposed to be creating a barrier for Orochimaru. We've been chasing this trash around the woods for too long as it is, and it's not even really him?!"

Sakon growled. "I'll tear him apart when I find that trash! Where the hell is he?"

Another of the hooded nin appeared on a nearby tree branch. "Wouldn't you like to know? Heh."

Kidomaru spit a golden spike made of what looked like the same thing as the web lines that now hung about the forest. It stabbed the clone in the chest and it dispersed. "Shit! He's playing games with us!"

Tayuya frowned. "I'm gonna fuck him up. Just make sure you assholes stay the fuck out of my way!" She brought the pipe to her lips and froze. "Wha?" Her eyes grew very wide. She was holding a stick that looked like the bark had been shaved off with a kunai. It still had a small branch with a leaf on it poking off the side. "N-no!" She turned towards the very still and now useless demon summons.

Naruto swung down from the branch over her head and planted both feet in her back before landing on the branch she'd been on.

She hit Jirobo head first on his skull and landed in the dirt face first. The large man looked annoyed and it had hurt a little. Tayuya didn't get back up. "Tayuya! No!" He looked concerned about her, and glared up at the boy. "You..."

The hooded nin gave a chuckle. "Looks like she lost something." He turned to jump away, but found himself stuck in a web. He hung there and looked up to see Kidomaru grinning at him as he crawled across his own web towards him. He looked very angry. "Crap."

Naruto got a bit wide eyed as he looked at the nin who had caught him in the web, or rather behind him.

"Kidomaru! What the hell are you doing?" Sakon held a kunai in his grip as another head appeared out of his back. It was looking behind him along with another arm holding a kunai from out of his back.

"This isn't funny!" Jirobo staggered back and clenched his fists as he looked into the shadows around them in alarm. "What are you doing?"

The dark haired nin looked confused as he glanced over his shoulder. "Wh-what the hell?!"

A very large black spider was crawling towards him, it had a red hourglass under it's belly and was easily four feet wide. He looked towards the hooded nin. "You!" The creature pounced on his back and he rolled over punching it away from him as he fell into the dirt. The clone on his web vanished in a puff of smoke. The spider nin skittered to his feet and moved towards his companions. Tayuya groaned as she sat up and screeched in alarm. There were about five of the giant spiders surrounding the Sound Four and moving towards them.

"Fucking gross! Kidomaru, get rid of..."

The man looked annoyed. "They aren't mine!"

Jirobo knocked one away as it drew near with his fist. It fell on it's back after hitting the side of a tree and flipped back over to crawl back towards them.

Sakon slashed at another one with his kunai. It screeched and went still as it lost it's head. "What is this? Where did they come from?" The rest of the spiders started to back away as the one that had been killed vanished.

Small balls of flame began to form in the shadows of the grove all around the four Sound nin. They stood back to back looking at their surroundings in stupor.

Tayuya growled. "Some kind of Genjutsu? Who the fuck is this trash?"

Kidomaru growled as he spit another golden spike and impaled one of the creatures. "I think I get why Orochimaru sent all four of us after him." He took a step back and screamed in pain.

Jirobo gasped. "Traps!" The spider nin had a metal game trap snapped around his shin.

The hooded nin appeared before them again, holding his sword pointed at them all.

Sakon screamed in rage and charged him with a kunai in his grip. "Die!"

Kidomaru reached for him. "No! You idiot!"

The boy took the blow and Sakon stabbed him through his chest. The man's eyes went wide as he realized it was yet another clone, and he had his kunai stabbed through an explosive note that was stuck on the side of the tree. "Shit!" He hit the dirt as it blew up and was sent rolling away.

Jirobo screamed in anguish as the kunai that she'd stabbed the note with went right through his shoulder and stuck into the trunk of a tree behind him. He fell to his knees and clutched the wound. "Out of the trees! Fast!"

There was a strange howling from all around them, glowing eyes filled the grove all around them in the shadows. Small floating balls of blue flame hovered about between them, not really casting any light on the area around them despite their dull glow.

Kidomaru growled. He'd spit some of the fluid from his mouth over his wound after prying his leg free of the trap. "Phantom lights? What is this?"

Tayuya looked terrified. "My weapon is gone. I can't do a fucking thing. We need to leave!"

Sakon growled. His face and arm had several burns, and he had a few splinters of wood stuck into his skin. "Do you have any idea what will happen to us if we don't kill him?" His wounds were minor, but it was obvious he was in pain.

Kidomaru glanced at him. "This is crazy! How can that trash be at such a high level?" He was limping at the center of the group. The eyes were moving about the shadows around them between the tree trunks to surround them.

Tayuya put her back to him. "This has got to be some kind of trick! A genjutsu of some kind!"

Sakon backed towards the edge of the grove. "Get out of here! Now! This is taking too long! We're supposed to be putting that barrier up for Orochimaru!" The group rushed after him as fast as they all could. Kidomaru snarled as he glared over his shoulder.

Jirobo frowned. "Wait! The curse seals! We can't give up yet! Do you have any idea what will happen if we fail?"

Tayuya glared at him. "Look you fat coward need to draw this trash out of these woods! He's got too much fucking control of what's happening here! Don't you understand we've been drawn into some sort of trap? Fall back!"

Kidomaru sneered at her. "You're just saying that because you've lost your toy!"

Sakon grunted. "I hate to admit that she's right, but we're just chasing clones in here. This trash is some kind of Genjutsu user, and we need to get him in the open!"

OooOOooOO

Orochimaru slashed at the staff Sarutobi was using to deflect his blows. He'd pulled a sword out of his mouth and was sweating as he managed to keep his opponent on his toes. "Damn."

The Hokage gave him a smirk. "Having a bit of trouble?"

"Not really." Orochimaru gave a forced chuckle. "Just a bit more work than I had anticipated!" The pair jumped away and tossed shuriken and kunai. All of which were knocked out of the air.

The old man nodded. "Your plan isn't going well, is it? You weren't expecting this much trouble from the Leaf Village. We're stronger than you expected."

His former student glared and growled. "I'm not leaving empty handed."

OooOOooOO

Sakura stood with Genma and the other Genin looking down at the battle. "What should we do?" There were several enemy nin lying dead around them.

Genma frowned. "There's nothing we can do here but get in the way. You all seem to be able to handle yourselves well enough. Come on, we'll make for the village."

Lee frowned. "What about Hokage? He's in danger!"

Sasuke glanced over at him and back to the fight. "He seems all right to me. Those two zombies that were summoned are just standing there away from it."

Ten Ten nodded. "I don't think we should bother with that. We'll do more good in the village."

Sasuke turned towards the exit. "Right. Come..." A large fist came up from behind the railing, grabbed him by the back of his head, and pulled him off the edge.

Sakura rushed over and jumped the railing without thinking or looking first. "Sasuke!" She hit the wall before hitting the ground as a fist slammed into her gut. She gasped in shock and spit out a bit of blood as she saw a gray haired nin grinning at her with his fist in her gut.

Genma looked down at the scene and found a redheaded kunoichi and a dark haired nin with a ponytail looking up at him. "Damn it!"

Rock Lee clenched his fist and jumped down. "Sakura! How dare you!" Rather than land in the attack he'd planned, he ended up hanging by his foot from some sort of sticky chord halfway down the wall. "What?"

Kidomaru punched him in this face as he jerked down and swung away from jumping towards Sakon. The boy hung from the thread clutching his nose.

Jirobo chuckled as he gripped Sasuke by his skull and drained his chakra into his arm. "Heh. This should draw that trash out." He lost his grip as pain exploded across his face and staggered back as Sasuke fell onto the ground face first.

Kidomaru bounced off the wall and careened away rolling across the dirt in a rough manner.

Gai had a frown on his face as he stood where the spider nin had been with his fist extended.

Kakashi flipped off the fat one's face and landed on the ground in a light manner in front of Tayuya and Sakon. He looked the pair down and gripped two kunai.

Sakon growled as she stepped back and towards Tayuya. "Shit."

OooOOooOO

Ryu stood on top of a beheaded giant snake. There were about ten dead Sound and Sand nin littering the ground around him from sword wounds. He had a sword gripped in his hand as several Leaf nin looked up at him with wide eyes as they stood around the area. Eight more enemy nin they had been battling fell over with kunai stuck into their necks, skulls, and chests.

Koruma chuckled. "Quite an entrance."

The man gave a heavy sigh. "How annoying."

The Leaf nin looked on as he jumped over their heads and into the glare of the sun overhead. He seemed to vanish as the light consumed him and never appeared to land.

One of the nearby Leaf nin looked up and lowered his weapon. "Who the hell was that?"

A Leaf kunoichi next to him staggered as she looked about. All the nearby enemies were dead. "What the hell? What happened?"

The three tailed fox looked at the group standing around the beheaded snake. "Well, um. We've come to help out."

One of the men narrowed his eyes at the creature. "We?"

The creature gave him a nod. "Yeah. We." The nin staggered and looked around as a swarm of furry orange, black, and white animals rushed around and over the body of the serpent and into the walls of the village.

One of the other giant snakes nearby collapsed as it's belly split open, spilling entrails onto the street as it landed a few blocks away.

Nin could be seen running through the streets a few moments later, screaming in terror. Several had injuries and arrows poking out of their bodies. The Leaf nin were staggering about, looking confused, a few wondering why they weren't dead.

The group standing near the beheaded snake looked up at the kitsune, who now appeared as a beautiful young girl in a shinobi uniform. On her head was a forehead protector with what looked like three claw marks running down the center. She had a bow and arrow on her shoulder and looked out across the village from her perch with a wide grin. "Heh. This should be fun!"

Small balls of floating blue flame began to appear in the streets and alleyways throughout the village.

One of the nin looking up at her frowned and pointed his weapon at her. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?"

Koruma chuckled. "We are the subjects of Uzumaki Naruto. He is the Kitsune King, and we have come to aid him in the fight and protect our Prince, and his home of course. As long as our King and Prince live safely within this village, the Kitsune are allies and defenders of Konoha. Isn't that nice?" She hopped up and down and bounced with cheer. "Tee hee!" She put her best very cute face on and skipped through the dumbstruck nin and into the fray.

The man who had spoken up first got a little slack jawed, as did the others with him. "U-Uzumaki?"

OooOOooOO

Orochimaru snarled as he knocked Sarutobi back. The old man skidded across the dirt holding the staff and panting for breath. He was sweating a great deal, and keeping up with his opponent still. "I won't be able to keep up with this long."

The serpent man growled as he stabbed his blade onto the ground. The ground cracked open as it raced towards the old man. The Hokage was forced to jump up and back, into the stands. Rather than follow, Orochimaru turned and rushed towards the four Sound nin facing off against Gai and Kakashi. Sasuke was lying on the ground in the open behind the Sound Four. The Leaf Genin was struggling to push himself onto his arms and shaking his head.

"What happened?" Sasuke's eyes went wide at what he saw coming towards him. Orochimaru's head was shooting straight for him as his neck extended.

"You're mine!"

The boy tried to raise his arm and shield himself, but a pair of familiar legs skidded to a stop in front of him. "Don't you touch Sasuke!" Sakura lashed out in a punch that caught the head on the jaw and it flew to the side. She stood gasping, bent over from her strike.

Orochimaru was enraged as he dove at her. "Out of my way you little bitch!" He skidded to a stop and turned around, punching at what seemed to be nothing.

Naruto was bent over the man's fist with wide eyes as his sword fell from his hands. The Sound leader kicked him in his chest and raised his arm.

The hooded nin managed to roll out of the way as three serpent heads shot from his sleeve and snapped at him. He wasn't able to dodge the punch that hooked across his jaw and sent him reeling back as he struggled to keep his feet just as he stood back up. "Damn!" The Sound Kage charged at him, sending him reeling with a vicious combination of punches and kicks.

"Naruto!" Sakura started to step forward, but got a backhand in the face that sent her on her side about ten feet away. Orochimaru hadn't even looked back at her to do it, but was forced to stop his assault on Naruto long enough for the hooded nin to stagger back.

The enraged Sound Kage glared at Naruto nin in a rage. The boy was struggling to keep his feet and shook his head to try and clear it "You've gotten in my way for the last time!" He slashed with his sword at the boy intending to cut him in half.

Naruto jerked the wire on the hilt of his blade and managed to catch it in time to block the strike. He grunted in effort as he pushed against the downward slash in a losing battle as he fell to his knees right away.

Orochimaru's fist slammed into his gut and the boy almost didn't roll aside fast enough to avoid his opponent's blade as it came down to slash at him again. He jumped back and managed to avoid the horizontal slash, only to get kicked in the gut before he landed again and was thrown back. He landed on his knees and fell onto his face before struggling to push himself up with his arms.

The boy was clutching at his belly and coughed up blood through his mask. "Shit." His vision was blurring as he looked up to see the serpent man rearing his blade over his head and charging towards him.

"Die!" Orochimaru was forced to stop and shift to the side as several kunai landed in his path. He growled and saw Kakashi land nearby.

"You worm!" He spun around the weapons and hooked his arm around Naruto's neck pulling the boy against his chest under his arm with his sword at his throat.

The hooded nin choked as he gripped at the man's arm and kicked his feet.

Kakashi froze and crouched as he waited for an opening. "You've lost. Your attack has failed."

The serpent man looked about. The Four Sound were standing behind Kakashi, and Gai was keeping them in check. Genma had landed next to the man to back him up, and Rock Lee was standing behind them glaring at the scene.

Lee rushed between them and slid next to Sakura on his knees, pulling her arm around his shoulder. "Sakura. Can you stand?" He glared up at the evil Kage. "You won't hurt her while I still live! I gave my word of this!"

Orochimaru pulled Naruto up a bit higher, taking his feet off the ground. "I won't leave without accomplishing anything!" He took the blade off the boy's throat, turned it around in his hand, and raised it over his head to stab down through the boy's chest.

"Not...again..." Naruto was struggling in his grip and choking. His vision was fading in and out.

Orochimaru screamed in pain as his wrist felt like it had been stabbed by several dozen needles. The sword fell from his grip and he jerked his hand away, tossing a small furry creature on the dust in front of him. A two tailed kitsune rolled over and growled at him as it backed away with it's hair standing on end as it bared it's teeth at him.

Naruto managed to get his feet on the ground as the Sound nin leaned forward from the throw. He grunted in effort and shifted forward with all his might. He managed to escape the headlock, but ended up with the back of his neck in Orochimaru's fingers. "No you don't! Just die!"

Naruto fell into the dust face first as a cracking sound came from behind him. His world went black as he landed.

"That is enough!" Sarutobi landed and had put his pole across the man's arm. Orochimaru's arm was broken, and hanging at his side as he jumped away. He turned his eyes towards the Hokage and growled like an animal.

He and his four sound nin were surrounded on all sides with a wall at their back. Gai, Kakashi, and Genma stood with the remaining Genin all standing in front of them. None of them looked pleased and all of them were holding kunai.

Sasuke was a few feet away still on his belly, and Naruto was lying on the ground with his eyes closed out cold.

That wasn't their only problem, about fifty other nin were closing in from the sides and in front of them. Each wearing an unfamiliar forehead protector, with three claw marks down the center. Orochimaru glared at Naruto, the boy had a mark just like it on his with the Leaf symbol. "I see."

The new nin all had glowing yellow eyes, and little balls of flaming blue light were floating amongst them as they closed in around the Sound nin. They were backed against the wall of the arena, and surrounded on every side by far superior numbers.

Tayuya looked over her shoulder at their master. "What should we do?"

Orochimaru growled and looked at the dirt. The Hokage had a firm frown on his face as he stood waiting with his pole ready to attack. "It's time to go. We've failed."

Tayuya and Sakon held Orochimaru up as he slumped over between them. Jirobo tossed several balls down at the ground and a large cloud of smoke rose from the ground in front of them in an instant.

The Leaf nin all looked on as they jumped away. Gai rushed after them with Kakashi jogging up to back him up. Kidomaru was facing them, and spit a large open web into the air, catching Gai as he jumped and sending him onto the ground covered in the net of sticky string. Kakashi hadn't jumped after him yet, and managed to side step the attack. It was too late, and they vanished over the wall and into the wood surrounding the village.

The Hokage fell on his knees gasping for breath. All of the strange nin transformed into kitsune and started walking away. They had various numbers of tails, two or three in most cases, but none with more than five. The old man was struggling for breath and looked at the scene with wide eyes. "What?" He looked over at where Naruto was lying and smirked. "I see."

Kakashi turned to face the old man. "What just happened?"

Gai was struggling with his bonds. "A hand would be nice."

Lee and Sakura rushed over to his side. The boy seemed alarmed. "Gai sensei!"

Sakura was chuckling as she pulled out a kunai and started sawing at the sticky bonds. "Relax. I don't think he's hurt."

Gai frowned at her. "Yes. That doesn't mean it's not a bit embarrassing."

Sasuke managed to roll onto his back and was gasping for breath. His eyes were drooped half closed and he seemed very winded. "Oooh. This sucks."

Kakashi was at his side. "Your chakra's been drained. You're lucky to be alive." He looked over at Sakura. "What was that Orochimaru tried to do?"

The raven haired boy seemed annoyed. "How should I know? He tried the same thing in the forest earlier, but Naruto got in the way."

Several ANBU had appeared and were helping the Hokage to his feet. A few more were kneeling around Naruto. The boy was out cold, and had several nasty bruises, but he wasn't in danger of dying.

Sasuke lifted his head and growled. "That's the second time that guy kicked his ass."

The Hokage was being supported by two of the ANBU. "Yes. He's lucky to be alive." He looked the boy over and muttered under his breath. "He's not the only one." He looked over his shoulder, and saw the two bodies of the former Hokage lying in the dirt and not moving. He closed his eyes and frowned. "Come. The exams are over, and it's time we left. We've got quite a mess to see to."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Aftermath...


	20. Chapter 20

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 20

Clean up.

OooOOooOO

The Hokage gave a heavy sigh as he looked down at the two bodies that had once been lying in the center of the arena. He was standing on the stairs just outside the main entrance to the complex. There was a lot going on, bodies of both enemies, and a few friends were being carried off, and debris were being piled up and out of the way. The moment the ANBU had touched the pair of fallen Hokage, they crumbled into dust, revealing two more bodies inside. "It is as I thought. A terrible jutsu." They were both young, a girl and boy of no more than fourteen, each with a Sound forehead protector.

All around there had been dead bodies lying about the arena. Most of them were gone now, and the pair who had once been inside the two Hokage were the last two being carried out.

It had been two hours since the attack had ended. Konoha was still in a sort of stupefied shock. There were about fifteen dead, two Jounin, two Genin, and the rest Chunin. A few non combatant casualties had occurred as well, but they'd gotten off remarkably light considering the situation only a couple of hours before.

A Chunin in a mask with spiky black hair walked up to him. "Hokage, sir. There's something...well...it's a bit unusual."

The old man glanced at him and frowned. "Yes. What is it?"

The nin turned his head and two men walked up with a third standing between them. It was a boy of about fourteen, he was wearing a pair of odd looking gauntlets on his hands, and seemed very sullen, but not hostile. He wasn't wearing a forehead protector, and was clad only in a black shirt and pants, with his face covered in wrappings that only revealed one eye. He looked towards the ground as he was held in front of the old man.

The Chunin nodded towards the boy. "He's not resisted."

Sarutobi turned towards the boy and looked at the Leaf nin. "Who is he?"

The man shrugged. "We don't know, sir. Witnesses say, he came with the attackers, but turned on them immediately, fighting against the Sand and Sound. He's not one of ours, and he's not wearing anything that identifies him with a village. Several nin claim he helped out several Leaf nin."

The Hokage glanced at him. "I see. Tell me, wait...I know you. You were in the Chunin exam."

The boy nodded and hung his head lower. He didn't speak.

The Chunin frowned at the young nin. "If you're going to speak up, now is the time."

The boy looked up with is eye at the Hokage. "I would like to seek asylum."

The old man frowned at him. "You are one of the Sound nin. One of Orochimaru's."

The young nin hung his head. "Yes. I was."

The Chunin who had brought him frowned. "If you're willing to turn against your own. Why should we take you in?"

The boy turned an angry eye towards him. "I'm not one of them anymore. That bastard, killed my team. I knew they were going to attack, so I came here, but I didn't make it in time to warn anyone, so I did what I could. I couldn't get to him, he killed my friends for some sort of sacrifice...I barely escaped with my life. I can still remember...the screams. Kin...Zaku..." He looked up at the Hokage with tears running down the side of his face. "I will tell you everything I know. I will submit to any interrogation, willingly. Just..."

The old man turned his eyes. "Come with me. You, hold for a moment." The two men holding the boy moved behind the Hokage as he walked down the stairs to two covered stretchers as the men carrying them to the carts that would take them to be disposed of halted. He looked at the Chunin holding him. "Release him."

The men looked surprised and stepped away from the boy's side. The Hokage stopped the men carrying the bodies off. He lifted the sheets enough to show their faces. "These two...they were your friends?"

The boy was on his knees before them, his hands hanging between his legs as the chains binding them clattered on the pavement. "I...Zaku...Kin...no..." He looked up at the old man. "How did they get here! I thought they were...?"

The Hokage put a hand on his shoulder. "They were. Orochimaru, sacrificed them to perform a forbidden jutsu in an attempt to take my life. Tell me your name boy."

"Dosu...Kinuta Dosu."

The old man gave a nod. "Remove his chains." He looked the boy in his eye. "You will be under guard, and I'm afraid we will be watching you carefully."

Dosu nodded. "I understand. I will do whatever I can. I will avenge them, I swear it. That monster...he told us we could be strong, that we would have better lives. Our future, it was supposed to be full of promise, honor, and glory...not this."

The Hokage nodded with a deep frown on his face. "I can promise you nothing of revenge. Orochimaru is a wanted man, and we will of course defeat him if we can. However, we cannot seek war. The Sand...they are dangerous enemies. I fear for Kazekage, he is not the kind of man who would allow another to take his place for such a deception. He would have faced us himself before he allowed..."

Dosu looked up at him. "Kazekage is dead. This much I know. Orochimaru murdered him. I do not know the details. I overheard Kabuto, his right hand, speak of this while we were preparing for the Exams. The Hidden Sand was deceived, and did not know the one they obeyed was not their Kage."

Sarutobi's frown deepened. "I see. I will have you speak with some of the ANBU. If you cooperate, you will have nothing to fear from them. Do not worry. You seem willing, and I do not wish you to fear if this is true. However, I hope you understand that this must be verified."

The boy nodded as he hung his head. "I will submit to anything, if it will help me avenge my comrades. I would have died fighting for him gladly, given my life for Sound and it's ambitions, but this...cannot be forgiven." The two Chunin helped the boy to his feet and unlocked his chains. They led him away from the Hokage as the old man looked at the two bodies as the men carrying them started away again.

OooOOooOO

Baki frowned as he approached the three Genin of his team.

Gaara was on his back with a blanket over him between Kankuro and Temari. The man walked up and frowned down at the boy. "How is he?"

The boy's sister looked up at him as she put a cool damp cloth across his forehead. "His wounds are almost gone. The bleeding has stopped. He'll recover."

Kankuro looked down at his brother with is arms crossed. "I've never seen him like this before." He looked angry and nervous. "His side effects seem to have faded for now."

Baki nodded as he knelt at Gaara's side. "Can you move? We cannot linger here. The attack has failed, and I fear the Leaf will recover quickly. We need to leave this country and return our own as fast as possible. If we are caught it will be dangerous."

Kankuro looked shocked. "What?"

Temari clenched her fist. "What do you mean?"

The kabuki clad nin glared down at his brother. "Great. That means we've got to carry him."

The boy looked up at him with a deep frown on his face. "Leave me."

Temari gasped. "No way!"

Her brother's eyes turned towards her. "What do you care?"

Kankuro shook his head. "She's right. We can't just leave you here. We're not that bad off, and you're not dead. You'll be fine with a little more rest."

Baki lifted the sheet up to look at the wounds, they were little more than a few scabs on his shoulders. "He's right. Gaara, we do not leave our own behind."

The boy shuddered, he was covered in sweat. "I'm not one of you."

Temari glared at him. "I'd slap you if I wasn't afraid of losing one of my hands for it."

Gaara shook and clutched at his belly causing Temari and Kankuro to jump back in alarm as he sat up as if he was having a cramp. He clutched at his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "Shut the hell up!"

Baki gave a small growl. "Come on. Kankuro, I'll carry Karasu for a short while, you''re going to need to carry Gaara."

The boy looked shocked and took a step back. "M-me? What about her?"

Temari frowned at him. "Shut up! He's your brother too! I'll take him if I have to!"

Baki shook his head. "Shut up, both of you. We don't have time to argue." He looked at Kankuro. "You're used to carrying around that puppet of yours. Gaara doesn't weight that much more. I'll carry Kurasu, but if I've got to fight, I'd rather drop it than him." He looked at Temari. "You're going to scout ahead for us. You're a lot more nimble than him."

The girl nodded and lowered her eyes after giving Kankuro a frown. "You be careful, and don't be an asshole."

Gaara snarled as his brother reached down for him. "Leave me!"

Kankuro was shaking a bit. "Just deal with it for a bit. I don't like this either you know."

The redhead looked away. "Why do you care? Just dump me here, I'll be fine on my own." He looked like he was in a bit of pain, but not so much because of his injuries.

Kankuro gave a heavy sigh. "I can't. You heard Baki."

His younger brother glanced up at him. "Why not? Because it was an order? I'll kill you."

The older boy gritted his teeth. "Why do you have to always be like this? That's not it at all!"

Gaara slapped his hand away as he tried to reach for him again. "Why not!? I'm telling you to leave me the hell alone!"

Baki frowned at the boy. "He can't."

The younger brother looked like he was becoming upset, in a dangerous way. Kankuro looked about ready to wet himself. "Yeah, he can. What do you care?"

Baki shook his head. "I don't. You don't understand do you? He can't leave you here. It's not because I gave him an order."

The older boy grabbed his younger brother's hand. "Come on Gaara, please. You might be fine here, but it's dangerous for the rest of us."

His younger brother ignored him and looked up at his instructor. "Why? Tell me then."

The man gave a heavy sigh. "Because even though you might kill him, and he knows it, you're still his brother."

Temari looked nervous. "Don't kill him Gaara, please. Really, you've lost a lot of blood."

Her younger brother sat up and held his shoulder for a moment, trying to stagger to his feet. "I'm...fine."

Kankuro caught him as he almost fell on his face. "Just for a bit. We won't tell anyone I promise."

Gaara glared at him. "I don't have family."

His older brother handed Karasu off to Baki. "You don't get to pick your family, Gaara. Come on. Believe me, I'm the last one who wants to say anything about this, and I know Temari knows better."

His younger brother shifted his eyes away. "Fine." He'd never felt so weak before, there had been so much blood. He'd killed a lot of people before, but the only time he'd ever seen so much, was from others who had died. He put his hands around Kankuro's shoulders and felt his older brother grab his legs. "If any of you ever says anything about this, I'll kill you."

Kankuro gave a heavy sigh. "I don't like this either you know. We're both boys. It's embarrassing for me too."

Baki frowned at the trio. "That's enough talking. We need to stay quiet, we're going to have a bit of trouble if we get caught before Gaara is healed. It seems that won't take long. I was afraid we'd have to carry him back all the way. He's never been injured at all before, but it seems even if he is, he'll heal quickly. One injury like that wouldn't have been so bad, but there were huge holes in both his arms, he lost a lot of blood. It seems as if he should be able to move on his own tomorrow. We'll be out of the country by the next day."

Temari gave a worried glance back at Kankuro. "Yeah. Lucky us."

Baki gave her a small smirk. "More than it first seemed. It's not so bad, we'll survive if we're careful."

Gaara had his eyes closed and seemed to have passed out. Temari gave a nod. "Yeah. Maybe you're right. He's so peaceful when he sleeps. Wish he'd be more like that when he's awake." She turned away and never noticed the injured boy open his eyes back up. A single tear fell down his cheek.

Kankuro didn't notice it either. Gaara closed his eyes again and thought to himself. "Why? I don't understand. Why can't they just...leave me here? I wouldn't have cared if any of them had died. They all know it. I might have even killed them myself. So...why?" No answer came to him, and the weakness lead him into darkness as he passed out.

OooOOooOO

Konoha was a mess, Naruto stood looking out over the destruction with a frown on his face. He was standing by the fountain near the academy, looking out over the balcony into the city. Kitsuma was sitting on his shoulder.

Ryu spoke up as he walked up with Ken. "Well, that wasn't so bad."

Ken chuckled. "Yes. It was quite a show."

Naruto looked a bit surprised. He'd never seen either of them standing in the open. They were both still wearing their black hoods and masks. "Hey. Thanks for taking care of him." He rubbed at his son's head.

Ryu gave a nod. "It's not a problem. We get paid for babysitting just like you used to. The Hokage pays us the same as Genin, even though we won't be taking missions. We're not village nin."

Ken leaned against the railing. "Free room is nice too. We like simple, and don't need much."

Their student gave a nod. "Yeah. That's good to hear. You guys are just standing out in the open?"

Ryu chuckled. "We told you before. Being invisible is nice, but you can't cut ties to the world completely. You'll forget what you fight for, and that's not living. It's just looking in, from the outside, detached and cold. We'll be taking a few odd jobs around town from time to time as well. While you're on a mission, we'll be watching over your son. We've got to help with some of the clean up tomorrow."

Koruma and Masara bounced up to the boy in their female guises. Most of the foxes who had come to aid the village had returned to the woods. "Hey!" They chimed in unison as if they were two cute schoolgirls.

A third girl of about the same age, with violet hair tied up in a ponytail was walking up behind them in a more subdued manner. "Hello, Boss."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Oh." He sniffed the air for a moment. "Hey. You're...the one who helped me in the arena. Right?"

Koruma seemed surprised. "Yeah. Her name is Kira."

Masara looked just as confused. "How can you tell?"

The boy flushed a bit. "Um, my nose is better than a normal person's. Seems to have gotten a little better recently." He scratched the back of his head and gave Kira a small bow. "Thanks. I owe you my life."

The female kitsune blushed a bit. "Y-yes. I'm glad to have helped."

Kitsuma yipped at her from the boy's shoulder, and she blushed a little more.

Masara elbowed him in the ribs. "You know...she's a real girl..."

Koruma nodded as he walked up and whispered into his ear. "We could ask her to come by later and...well...she won't mind mating with you..."

Naruto growled. "Quit it would you? I'm married already and stuff. It's bad enough as it its. You perverts."

Kira arched her eyebrow a little. "M-married?"

Koruma looked over at her. "Yeah. He doesn't get it yet."

Masara gave a serious nod. "He's still just a kit himself. Don't worry."

The female seemed a bit confused and nodded. "Oh. Well, I just wanted to meet you. If you decide you want to have sex with me, I don't mind."

Naruto turned red. "Are all of you like this?" He looked at Koruma and seemed both annoyed and frightened.

The kitsune nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much."

Masara shrugged at Kira. "He'll appreciate it when he's older. He's not had pubes yet."

Naruto had his head hanging and slumped down. Ken and Ryu were both chuckling at the scene.

The female kitsune nodded and turned away. She spoke in a quiet and shy sounding voice. "Well, when he starts having erections, just let me know. You said he only likes females right?"

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. That's what he said anyway."

"Man. This sucks. Look, isn't she going to get mad about this? I mean, I'm supposed to be..."

Masara and Koruma both gave him blank looks. "Um, you just don't get it, do you?"

Naruto glowered at him. "No. Explain it."

Koruma shrugged. "Well, pretty much any one of us will do anything you want us to. She's in charge and all, but being king has perks."

Masara bounced her chest with her hands. "Yeah! Perks!"

Naruto just continued to glower at them both. "What?"

Koruma gave a heavy sigh. "We've tried every innuendo I can think of. I think he's too stupid to get it unless we just tell him straight."

Masara nodded and seemed to think on it. "Okay. How should we put it?"

The redhead turned to smile at him. "Kitsune aren't like people. Any one of us would be more than happy to have sex with you, we'll look like anyone you want, anything you want, and no, the Queen won't get even a little bit mad about it. Well, not as long as you keep her happy when she gets here."

The green haired girl gave a serious nod. "Yeah. We're pretty liberated when it comes to that sort of thing."

Ken and Ryu were leaning over the railing with tears rolling down their cheeks they were laughing so hard.

Naruto just stood there with his shoulders hanging as he continued to stare at them. Kitsuma was running in circles around his feet yipping with cheer. "Huh?"

The redhead seemed a little confused. "I'm not sure we can put it any simpler than that."

The green haired girl shrugged. "Yeah. Well, if you want to help your friends get laid, you can just ask and we can help with that too. None of us would mind."

Naruto nodded once and bent down to pick up Kitsuma. "Um...I'm going home. I think I'll pass on that...really."

Masara gave him a grin. "Okay. Don't forget though. When you start having erections, we'll be around."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. We know you prefer females, but a lot of us have had human mates before. It's kind of a nice way to spend a week or so for fun sometimes. We live for hundreds of years after all, and it helps to have a bit of variety. We understand and all, but we can just get Kira, and she'll take care of it for you."

The three tailed girl nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry about it and all. To be honest, it would probably be better for you if you already know what you're doing when the Queen shows up. She's not going to want to bother with teaching you all this stuff."

The four tailed redhead gave a small sigh. "Maybe we shouldn't have told him we were really guys? Oh well. I'm sure Kira will take care of it for us."

Naruto shuffled off looking very dazed and a bit pale. Kitsuma was settled in his arms with his tongue hanging out looking quite pleased and comfortable. He yipped at his father and tugged on his shirt with his teeth as he played.

Ryu was still chuckling. "Man, that was great."

Ken nodded as he wiped tears from his eyes. "Yeah. She asked you to make sure of that too did she?"

Masara nodded. "Yeah. We're supposed to make sure. He's got tons of stamina, but she's probably a lot more than he can...um...handle right now."

Koruma gave a small sigh. "That's for sure. He's gonna need some training to make sure. Otherwise, he...well...he won't die, but he's gonna be pretty sore for a real long time."

Masara shuddered. "Yeah. I've heard she's...quite a handful."

The redhead seemed to agree. "Yeah. He's gonna need those clones of his for sure."

Ryu and Ken were a bit wide eyed. Ken spoke up. "Um, sounds like quite a...woman."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. This is kind of unusual, she's never taken a human mate before. Most of our kind do it once or twice at least, sometimes we'll even marry humans for forty or fifty years or so. Not often though. The Queen seems to hate humans, but she doesn't mind us having a bit of fun."

Masara seemed to agree. "Yeah. We're troublesome, but not like her. She's well, to a human she'd be a rather nasty monster. The king is a bit of a shock to all of us. She's never found a human she's enjoyed for anything but a meal. He's...something."

Koruma's eyes became a bit lost. "She's...never spoken of a human like she spoke of him. We've not seen her since she sent us here, but...this one...he's special."

Ryu nodded. "We'd noticed."

Ken agreed. "Yes. I think the village is starting to notice as well. Naruto is the rarest of men."

The three tails looked confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Koruma spoke up with a smile on his face. "A life like his...will usually turn a man to darkness, evil. They become the worst of men. With the Boss, it has only made him even more noble. He has turned his knowledge of pain and loneliness into something most unexpected. Kindness, and empathy."

Ken and Ryu both nodded.

The four tails glanced at them. "You two are not so different, though perhaps not the same. For beings so young, you are both very wise. You've taught him well."

Masara nodded as he thought about it and looked quite serious. "Yes. I see what you mean. This place is strange, even that Hokage, there are many great men here. His instructor, that man from the academy as well. We're not as foolish as we sometimes appear."

Koruma glanced at the two shinobi. "Both of us remember the time before this village existed. We're far wiser than we often pretend to be. It's entertaining, but...though this place is full of many strong men, and there are more kind hearts and noble beings here than any place I can recall in many years, there is still darkness even here."

Ryu crossed his arms and looked over the village. "We saw what you mean."

Ken nodded in agreement. "Yes. Naruto was not treated well when he was young. It's true that it made him stronger in unexpected ways, it does not change it."

Koruma nodded. "Yes. There is that, but it's not all I mean. Even here, there are men who have hearts and minds ruled by cruelty, ambition, greed, and hatred. Not all of our nature is playful and cheerful, we too have our dark sides. We are carnivores, hunters, and our enjoyment of men is not always for their benefit. We are sometimes tricksters, sometimes monsters, and sometimes helpful. It depends upon our mood, and the man we're dealing with."

Masara seemed to agree. "Yes. We will honor our words. This village, we will defend and protect it, but...only while it benefits us. Our loyalty, is to the King, the Prince, and our Queen above all."

Koruma chuckled as he gave the rooftops a dark grin. "Yes. As long as the King obeys the terms of his contract, we will do anything he wishes of us. The village of Konoha would be wise to remember this." He looked at the two hooded men next to him. "It would be more unwise than Konoha might realize to turn against him. While the Queen cannot harm the village or order us to do it for her, he has no such limitations."

The green haired girl frowned at it. "I fear what their foolishness might cause them when the Queen returns here. I do not think that they will welcome her with open arms, but...if they force her to leave, and him with her. We will have no loyalty to this place at all. If they anger us, we're not bound by any contract to not harm them either. We're kept in check by the Prince and the Boss, and she cannot order us to harm this place, but if they are gone, well. We can do as we like."

The redhead continued to give the place a dark grin. "Yes. I'm afraid that is true. I like it here so far, I hope they are not so foolish as to upset him, or abandon him. Toying with the Queen would be a bad idea, even though the contract prevents her from harming those he cares for and the village as a whole. Anyone who he doesn't consider a friend...is fair game."

Ryu gave a nod. "Why are you telling us this?"

Ken nodded. "I kind of agree. We feel much the same way for this place. Naruto is our connection here as things stand now. I like the Hokage, but if he left, we would follow him at this point."

Koruma glanced at Masara as they both turned to walk away. "It might be wise to inform them of this, perhaps not announce it to the village as the Hokage did the contract, but...it may benefit them all to be aware of this by the time she returns. The village is safe, but...she's not to be toyed with. If they forget themselves in their anger and fear, she is still able to...eliminate the problem. At least on an individual level."

Masara glanced over her shoulder as they walked down the stairs into the village. "Tell them, or don't. It's up to you. We won't be saying anything about it after this to anyone, not even the Boss."

The two nin relaxed and didn't seem worried about it. They sat back looking out over the village in silence for a time. Ken glanced at Ryu. "We should speak to the Hokage about it at some point. No hurry, we've still got a few years. I'd feel bad if they weren't warned and did something stupid. Sarutobi doesn't worry me much, but...those two are right."

Ryu nodded. "As you said, there's no rush. I don't think we should wait until the last moment either. Still, we should say something to the old man at least, and let him decide what to do from there." He stretched his arms and seemed cheerful. "That doesn't worry me much. He's a wise man, and I doubt he'll make a stupid decision regarding it."

OooOOooOO

Sakura sat with her hands folded on her lap. Her eyes were wide and her head hung low. Beside her, Yamanaka Ino was laid out on a hospital bed. She was surrounded by a plastic barrier, and had the writing of some sort of jutsu all over the bandages that covered her from head to toe.

The girl was alive, but her eyes were vacant, and she would not survive more than an hour outside of her protective enclosure. While she was resting on a bed, it was inside a vat of clear fluid. It wasn't water, but rather a sort of gel. A tube ran down to the mask that sent her oxygen, and another tube ran down her arm, giving her body enough nutrients to stay alive.

What had happened to her had been explained. When she broke her jutsu, her body had tried to disperse. It took a bit of time, but the girl next to her was pretty much nothing but a sort of gel. The medical nin were doing everything they could, but, none of them were skilled enough to fix it. She was making slow progress, but it hadn't even been a full day yet. It was getting close to midnight, Asuma had come, and gone.

Ino's parents were sitting on the other side of the bed. Neither one had spoken to her, and she didn't blame them. She didn't speak to them aside from muttering "I'm sorry," when she'd entered.

They weren't interested in speaking to her. She understood it, and was grateful the hadn't asked her to leave. The man and woman were simply sitting and holding each other as they stared at what was left of their daughter.

Still, Sakura sat there, helpless, unable to do anything. All she could do was stare at her through the vat they had her in. Her eyes vacant and empty. Shikamaru and Choji were standing at the end of the bed, they'd both offered their condolences to the girl's parents, and remained silent with everyone else in the room. The two boys were restless, Shikamaru in particular. Both of them shifted between sitting in the chairs in the room and standing at the edge of the bed.

One of the medial nin walked into the room with a clip board in his hands. He walked up to Ino's mother and father. Both of them looked up at him with a sort of fearful hope in their eyes.

The man looked downcast. "I'm sorry. We can hold her together, but...this is...it's never happened before. She's alive, but, she's not."

Mrs. Yamanaka looked horrified. "Wh-what?" Her husband hung his head and let out a small saddened moan.

The doctor looked about the room. "Perhaps it's best if I spoke to the parents alone."

Shikamaru shook his head. "No. I already know what you're going to say. She's alive, but her mind is gone. She's just a vegetable."

Ino's mother looked at him in horror, and her father gave the boy a glare.

The doctor frowned at him and gave a nod. "Y-yes. That's correct. There's nothing we can do. Even if we had her mind, her body has been liquefied. Her brain wouldn't hold it. We don't have the ability to repair her body, and without her mind, doing it would be a waste anyway. This is beyond our skills as medical specialists." He gave a heavy sigh as he looked at the two horrified parents. "I'm sorry, but..."

Shikamaru growled as he glared at Sakura. The girl had her head hung and was shaking as she cried. "Shut up. You'd better fix her. Her mind is sitting right there. Isn't that right, Sakura?"

The pink haired kunoichi gasped as her head snapped up. She looked at him and went pale as her jaw hung open. She turned and noticed everyone was looking at her. "No! I don't know what you're..."

Choji backed away, not sure what was happening. He gave Haruno a dirty looking frown.

Shikamaru nodded. "I kind of figured that. You used Ino's jutsu to fight Naruto in the exam. I'm willing to bet you can pull off the Shin ten shin with no problems if you tried. She's in there all right. You've been acting like her since this happened, but you seem to shift back and fourth between you and her."

Sakura jumped to her feet. "I...no! I..."

The doctor arched his eyebrow. "What is this?"

Nara turned his eyes away. "I wouldn't bring this up at a time like this if I wasn't sure. Believe me. She's been grabbing that Sasuke just like Ino used too. I never knew Sakura that well, but I remembered she was never that forward with him before. Ino never worried about that. The way she cheered me on when I fought that Ten Ten, and she cussed out that Sound nin while Choji was defeated... Sakura changed since she joined her team, she never shouts anymore, she's pretty calm most of the time. Ever since she beat Ino, she's been acting weird. Like I said, I didn't know her that well, but I remember a little from the academy, we were in the same class." He looked at Ino's parents. "I'm not sure what happened, but Ino is in Sakura's head still. I know it."

Sakura pretty much fell back into her chair. "Wh...what?" She clutched at her head and sobbed. "What are you talking about? I..."

The medical nin gave the girl a frown. He looked over at the boy. "Forgive me, but I thought it was a little odd for the two of you to hang around this long. I know you're friends, but it's a bit late. You knew about this?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure before I said anything. You're not pulling the plug and giving up on Ino yet. As long as we've got Sakura, we can fix it if her body is healed."

Mrs. Yamanaka turned her eyes on Sakura. "What is he talking about?"

Mr. Yamanaka grabbed his wife by the shoulders and held her in place as he spoke to the girl who had been sitting with them. "Sakura, please explain."

The girl looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "I...I'm not sure...I mean..."

The medical nin. "Young lady, come with me please. If this is true, it can be verified." He glared at Shikamaru. "You'd better be right."

The boy gave a small smirk. "I'm sure of it. Even her team has noticed she's been acting weird since this happened."

Sakura stood up as Nara offered his hand to her. She seemed very pale as she left the room with the medical nin.

OooOOooOO

The Hokage was sitting behind his desk the next day. Naruto was standing in front of him with his hands behind his back. He was alone in the room and the old man was looking at a folder with his pipe between his lips. "Uzumaki."

The boy had been summoned to see the old man and seemed alert and attentive. "You asked to see me?"

"Yes. I've got a mission for you." Sarutobi gave a heavy sigh. "It will be very difficult, but I feel your particular set of skills are just what is needed to deal with this problem."

The boy blinked in surprise and nodded. "What is it you need?"

Sarutobi tossed the folder onto his desk. "It seems we've got a very unusual situation. I must admit I'm a bit perplexed at what has occurred, but it must be dealt with swiftly, and quietly."

Naruto seemed to think on it for a moment. "I'm not sure I understand."

The Hokage gave a nod. "Yes. Well, you know Maito Gai. I'm sure you've met him."

Uzumaki just looked a bit more surprised. "Yeah. Thickbrows senior, right."

The old man didn't seem amused, but also didn't chide him. "Yes. He was in the arena with Kakashi during the exam."

Naruto's face fell. "I'm not sure I like where this is going."

The Hokage nodded and frowned a little more. He seemed almost annoyed. "He's done something...very rash. Unusual for him."

The boy nodded again. "What do you need me to do?"

The old man leaned onto his desk and folded his hands. "He's stolen a scroll containing dangerous and sensitive information and left the village."

The hooded nin didn't seem bothered and nodded. "I see."

Sarutobi shook his head. "It's a shame. I'd like you to retrieve it...and..."

Naruto arched his eyebrow and waited.

"I'd like you to capture him, alive, and bring him back to the village for questioning."

Naruto got rather wide eyes. "Huh? You want me to catch...that guy?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, that's correct. We need to find out what he was doing. You are to retrieve the scroll and bring it back intact. Do not open it, I'm afraid you're not cleared for what it contains."

Uzumaki looked confused and glanced around the room. "That part sounds easy enough."

"Yes. He must also be returned to the village for interrogation. I don't understand what brought him to this foolish act, but it must be discovered what he intended to do with the information within this scroll. I'm afraid it's too dangerous for us to simply tail him and discover what he plans to do with it."

The boy looked confused. "I don't understand, but..."

Sarutobi gave a heavy sigh. "I fear he may intend to use this information himself. It won't be any good to him immediately. The information is somewhat time sensitive, and it could put us all in danger, even if he uses it for his own ends. I think he foolishly believes that it will aid him in some way. You are to capture him, and return him here to Konoha. Ibiki will need to question him and discover his motives."

Naruto shifted and glanced about as if looking for another person in the room. "Um, you want me to go after him? Just me?"

The old man nodded. "That's correct."

The hooded nin looked at the floor for a moment. "Forgive me, but...why me? I mean, I'm not even a Chunin. Isn't he supposed to be..."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes. He's currently considered the Strongest Jounin in Konoha. He's skilled in all aspects of the Shinobi arts, though he specializes in Taijutsu." The old man sat back in his chair. "That's the largest part of this problem. I don't have anyone who would be strong enough to defeat him and bring him back with physical force, his Genjutsu skills aren't the best, but he can effectively counter just about any such opponent, and there aren't any Ninjutsu users who can outclass him without killing him and destroying a good portion of the village he has taken refuge in."

The boy looked a bit surprised. "I...see." He thought on it a moment. "Why is he still in the country if he's done something like this?"

The old man seemed to relax and puff on his pipe. He seemed a bit annoyed, but not with the boy. "The information is time sensitive, but also requires him to be in a certain area. I believe he's confident his skills will allow him to hold out. He knows I can't permit a full scale ninja assault on a village within Fire Country. It would be a political mess. My only option is to send a single operative after him."

Naruto gave a nod. "Why not use Kakashi? He's supposed to be a close match for him. I recall him saying something like that himself before." He knew damn well that Mitao Gai was not an idiot nin, and that he didn't have a prayer of beating him in a fight. The man was a bit weird, but not a moron, or a weakling.

The old man nodded. "He's away, and won't return for another four days. I've sent him on a mission to the North. I'm afraid I can't disclose details about that. Your particular skill set is our best option."

"So, my orders are to capture him alive, and return the scroll intact." Naruto glared at the floor and nodded.

Sarutobi settled into his chair a bit more. "Correct. You have three days. I told you already that it was time sensitive. We have need of that scroll ourselves, it's contents are sensitive, and must remain secret. You are not to open it, this is very important. It would not end well if the seal on it is broken, especially before the time is right or in the wrong place."

Naruto nodded. "I take it I'm on my own then?"

"As I said, I don't know of anyone who would be of much help. Gai is a cunning and powerful opponent." Sarutobi leaned across his desk and gave a serious nod. "Take care Uzumaki. He does not wish to be stopped or deterred. Expect him to treat any ninja, Leaf or not, with hostility and violence."

Naruto cocked his head. "That guy? That doesn't seem like him at all. I only met him a few times, but he seemed...well..."

The Hokage nodded. "That concerns me as well. It is one of the reasons I feel that it is so important that he is caught alive, and returned to Konoha for interrogation. Ibiki is the only one with the skill to ensure his answers are honest. He is not to be trusted right now, I feel he is not in his right mind. It worries me a great deal."

Naruto sighed and nodded as he scratched the back of his head. "Three days huh? Well, I guess I better get going. Man, this is gonna take a lot of thought. You think something is wrong with him? Mind control or something?"

Sarutobi handed him a folder. "The thought had crossed my mind, but I am not certain. There is nothing more I can tell you I'm afraid. This contains a map of the nearby village, a description of the scroll you need to find, and access papers for the armory. Remember, alive, and as intact as possible, both Gai, and the scroll."

The boy accepted it and turned to walk out of the room. "Man. Thickbrows the first must have really screwed up. How the hell am I gonna pull this off?" He didn't have a choice, and walked down the hall away from the office towards the exit. "I wonder if he got brainwashed or something? Maybe that Orochimaru guy from yesterday?" He was still a little sore from that, and was now on his way to face a Taijutsu master. "This one kind of blows. Man, I'm gonna be sore for a month, if I'm lucky enough to survive."

He'd not lost all of his abilities from when his wife was locked inside him, but they were all weakened. He still healed faster than anyone he knew, but it took more time now. Injuries that would have been gone in an hour or so, now took as much as a day to heal.

He stepped out the doors and into the village. "Might as well get this over with."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Gai's betrayal


	21. Chapter 21

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 21

Gai's betrayal

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting on a high tree branch with a pair of binoculars. He'd been given access to the armory in Konoha, unrestricted access. Unfortunately, his target was meant to be captured alive, and he had to figure out where some sort of stupid scroll was first. He ended up taking a few small bottles, and nothing else.

Beside him, an unnamed fox was sitting on the branch. They were overlooking a small farming village of wooden shacks and a few small scattered businesses. The place only had one restaurant, and a few tiny stores. "Well? What can you tell me about what he's been doing?" The boy was gazing out over the village. Gai had been running laps around the village for an hour, he didn't seem to be slowing down, and before that, he'd kicked a dummy over a thousand times with each leg, before that, he'd done three thousand push ups.

The animal looked up at him with his tongue hanging out it was a two tailed fox. "Well, you see it. He's been like that since he got here yesterday evening. When he's done he'll probably go back to the place he's rented out above the clothing store after he stops to eat. It's what he did yesterday."

Naruto nodded, he'd watched the man for a full day and a half already. He had roughly a night and another full day to complete his assignment. "Yeah. If it's anything like yesterday, he'll stop to eat at that Yakitori place when he's done." He had a day and a half left. "Well, I guess I should get started then."

He hopped down off the tree branch and gave heavy sigh. "Man. This one is bugging me. I feel like I've been set up." He slipped into the bushes surrounding the town. Gai wasn't acting like he was expecting to be attacked, at least not by anyone he viewed as a threat. He'd spent the whole day training, and wasn't paying much attention for anyone who might be after him.

Just before he'd jumped down, the man had finished his seven hundredth lap, and was walking into the village, giving the people cheerful waves and a grin. "I've got a feeling this isn't what I was told it was. Not that it matters, it's still an order."

OooOOooOO

Gai was eating a bowl of rice and a few sticks of meat with a large bowl of vegetables. He was sitting at the counter of a Yakitori place and keeping to himself. The place was quiet, the whole village was, but not in a foreboding way, more of a lazy and relaxed one.

He glanced over his shoulder as a man walked into the restaurant and sat down a few seats away down the counter. He had a mask on, and a round straw hat that he didn't remove. His hands were dirty and worn, and he put a few coins on the table before glancing over at the man.

Maito chuckled. "He's here." He looked down at his food and said nothing. "Well, it's about time." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man try to hide a small bottle of something in his palm. "Heh. So, that's his plan. Clever, but he must take me for a fool."

The pair sat in silence, each eating a few strips of meat off of a stick as they sat, watching each other out of the corners of their eyes. After about five minutes, the man stood up and walked away.

Gai narrowed his eyes. He pushed his plate back and shoveled the contents of the vegetable bowl into his mouth. The cook took his dishes and put them aside to be washed. "I must finish my vegetables, or I shall not remain strong." He wasn't worried about finishing his food. The stranger had never even come close to him, or his dishes. He'd stayed about eight feet away, and had never even approached for a moment or even reached in his direction a little.

He turned away from the counter and walked outside, looking about in a cautious way. "Did I spook him?" He strolled out into the middle of the road. Nothing looked unusual, and the dirty looking traveler was gone. "Hmm."

After a short stroll, he walked into the clothing store and went into his room. He wasn't very surprised to find his things tossed about. "Heh. I see." He rubbed at his chin. "Clever, but... more than one? I should have expected." Gai ignored the mess and looked into an empty drawer. "Heh. Well now. He is clever, but still bears the inexperience of youth." He put up his hands and formed three hand seals. After standing in meditation for a moment, he opened his eyes. "I have him."

He dashed down the stairs and out of the room, turning to rush down the street. There was a small empty warehouse just down the road. "Excellent, the perfect place!" He stopped in front of the door and put his back against it. With a careful and slow motion, he opened the door and peeked through the crack.

The room was dark and empty. He slipped inside and glanced around. There was no one visible. Boxes and crates were piled around the large empty space in the middle of the room. One of the boards in the floor creaked a little as he strolled into the middle of the room. "Hmmm. I know he is here, but where?"

The rustling of cloth sounded behind him. Gai spun into a kick that hit the straw hat and cloak the dirty traveler had been wearing, the figure hit the ground and did not move. "Heh. That seems a bit too easy." He strolled over and kicked it.

As he expected, it was nothing but a hunk of wood. "Well, he's not left yet, I can still feel..." He froze and looked over his shoulder. "What?"

Hanging from a string was the scroll that had gone missing from his room. He blinked in confusion as he reached for it. The seal broke just after his fingers touched it, and the scroll fell open. Written inside was a single word. 'Sucker!' Gai stepped back from it as his eyes went wide. "What?"

Four clattering noises came from the corners of the room. The string holding the scroll was the trigger for some kind of trap. Canisters of gas started hissing from the four corners of the room. Gai put his arm up over his nose and mouth. "Heh. I see!" He rushed and dove out the nearby window and rolled onto the dirt between the warehouse and the building next to it. "Does he know?" He gritted his teeth and rushed away.

Naruto was behind him with a smirk on his face in the shadows as he watched Gai run off. "Heh. This isn't as bad as I thought."

His prey rushed to the edge of the town and skidded to a halt. He glared off the edge of the road and looked over his shoulder. "No. I see. So, he hasn't found it yet." He turned around and found the dirty stranger standing in the middle of the street.

Gai narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist. "You there. What is it you seek here?"

The man stood with his arms crossed as he gave him a firm frown. "I'm obeying orders of course. I hope you don't think I don't realize that this is some kind of stupid test."

Maito growled and clenched his fist. "You're so sure of that are you?"

The figure shook his head. "Doesn't matter if it is or isn't. You're wanted by Konoha. You've got something I need, and you're coming with me."

The man took up a fighting stance. "So, you think you can force me?"

The stranger gave a single nod. "Yup."

Gai gave him a hard glare. "You're a fool to have revealed yourself. I spotted you right away. You're not worthy, and you'll never get what you came for. Now, you'll just be defeated."

The figure shook his head. "I've already beaten you. You just don't know it yet."

Gai became a blur and appeared behind the stranger. "Is that so!?" He hooked his fist into the back of the strange man's head. "Think what you want about what this is, I'll not go easy on you!" The hat sailed away and Gai frowned. "A clone." He didn't seem surprised and frowned as he balled up his fist. "For the honor of Maito Gai, I cannot allow you to win!"

"Are you sure?" Gai turned about and gasped. "K-Kakashi? What are you...wait...you're not...Impostor!"

The Taijutsu master rushed towards the man who looked like his greatest rival. "You fool! You think you can trick me? I know my greatest rival far too well!"

Kakashi ducked back to avoid a fast blow, but took a shot to his gut. He slammed into the side of one of the buildings and cracked he wall. In an instant he was gone. "A very good duplicate, but not good enough. I know my rival is abroad, on other business."

Three more shadowy figures landed on nearby rooftops, each holding the hilt of a sword over their shoulder. They said nothing and seemed to set themselves in.

Gai chuckled. "It doesn't matter if there are three, or a thousand! You face the full force of Konoha's strongest!" He took up a ready position and waved his hand towards the one of the trio that landed in front of him. "Naruto Uzumaki. I see." He gave the boy a vicious looking grin. "I expect that you will do your best, but you must realize that you cannot win."

The boy stood tall and posed in front of him. "Does it matter? Real or not, test or betrayal, I've been given an order." He gave the man a fierce glare and balled up his fists. "I'll see it through to the end, even if it kills me."

Gai gave him a sparkling grin and raised his thumb. "Well, then I shall allow you to live. You'll be in the hospital for a month or so, but I cannot snuff out such a noble and true virtue as this. Work hard, and continue this path, and you shall surely achieve your goal." He started hopping in place. "However, that day is not today, I cannot permit your victory. You are not prepared for what you must first face!"

The two Naruto on the roof top seemed to sail into the air at the same time and slam face first into each other over the road. They fell into the middle of the dirt street and vanished into puffs as they hit the ground.

The last remaining one gasped as he looked on in shock. "So...fast!" He looked over his shoulder and hopped away as a large crater formed where he'd been standing. He pulled out his blade and slashed as he landed.

Gai stopped the blade by punching the flat edge. He twisted and spun in a kick that was almost too fast to see. The boy ducked under the strike and flipped away.

Maito landed and forced the boy to push sideways with his hands and feet as he landed. His sword clattered to the ground. "You're faster than I expected."

Naruto was panting for breath and holding kunai in his fists. "Yeah. You're not. I've seen Lee without his weights, you're just a tad slower."

Gai grinned at him. "Yes, but I am far more powerful. My prodigy Lee, he is my most precious student. Ten Ten and Neji both fill my heart with pride as well, but he is closest to my heart."

Naruto nodded. Gai liked to run his mouth, and that gave him a chance to catch his breath. "Yeah. I'm sure the feeling is mutual. You two thickbrows seem pretty close."

Gai clenched his fist and prepared to attack again. "Flattery will not win you this day."

The hooded nin chuckled. "I told you already. I've already won. You just don't know it yet!" He charged and tossed his weapons, sending six of the blades flying at his opponent.

Gai jumped into the air, and gasped as he looked over his shoulder. "What? No!" There was a six year old boy crouching in the path of the weapons.

Naruto growled as he seemed to notice it as well. "Shit!"

Six throwing stars from above stopped the weapons just inches in front of the boy. Gai landed and took the boy into his arms. "You! You should not be here! Go home, and..." The boy had a rather evil looking smirk on his face.

"Man, you're predictable." He found himself holding Naruto. The hooded nin boxed his ears and Gai dropped him clutching his head as the clone vanished before it hit the gound.

The man was enraged. "What? Of all the...dirty...underhanded..."

The hooded nin chuckled from a fair distance behind him in the road. "Flattery will not win you this day!"

Gai growled and started to step towards the boy. His hands flew down, and he caught the animal trap with his palms just before it closed around his leg. He moved his leg and left the jaws bent and twisted and himself unharmed. "Heh. Very clever. You've got a strong will, and you believe in yourself. Admirable, but it will take a great deal of hard work and many years to defeat me!"

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded as he looked the man dead in his eyes. "Yeah, well. I'm afraid I've already worked hard for a few years. You're a strong opponent, but..." He vanished in a puff of smoke.

Gai gave a chuckle. "Heh. I see you're not fool enough to face me yourself. Admirable, but it doesn't matter how many you send. I'll defeat one or a thousand of you without breaking a sweat." The man turned and found another Naruto standing behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. "As I said, you are not yet worthy of such a thing as you seek."

"I know that. I'll never beat you that way. You're just too strong. I don't need any more though. This is already over." Naruto seemed confident and kept his distance.

Maito gave a serious nod. "So, you've realized how useless it is. You should return to Konoha. You're not ready for what you seek, but you've impressed me. I believe you have a great future ahead of you, Uzumaki." He chuckled and crossed his arms. "Kakashi has impressed me. I never thought his students would all become so strong. You truly have earned the rank of Chunin, along with your fellow students Haruno and Uchiha. I never expected you to achieve this before my strong and proud students. Everyone knew you would rise to this rank, but to have all three of Team Seven rise to such a level in such a short time. My eternal rival has now brought us to even terms once again. Fifty wins, to Fifty losses."

Naruto shook his head. "I said I couldn't beat you by overpowering you, I never said I couldn't beat you. I told you already, I've been given an order. The only thing I seek here, is to complete my mission. It's already too late to stop me, and I'm not leaving until it's over. Victory, or death."

Gai frowned and looked serious. "Even knowing you face an impossible task, you will keep coming? You've no hope of winning. Yet...hmmm. I cannot allow you to win, you must take your victory by force. Still...you have become a better ninja than I expected. Kakashi was right to warn me of you."

Naruto chuckled and seemed amused. "What? Did you think you could talk me out of this? As you said, 'flattery won't win you this day'."

"Come. Let us continue. I look forward to fighting with you until tomorrow evening when your loss will be complete." Gai raised his fists.

"Nah. You're going to lose in...three...two..."

Gai cocked his head and frowned. "What?"

"...one."

Maito Gai seemed to freeze up. His eyes became confused, angry, and then rolled up as he fell face forward into the dirt and stopped moving.

Naruto relaxed. "Man. Well, at least it didn't hurt as much as I thought it might. Still, what a pain."

OooOOooOO

Gai groaned as he shook his head and looked about. He was on his belly, with his arms and legs hanging over the side of a bouncing, warm, and uncomfortable place. Coarse hairs poked at his face, and a somewhat unpleasant odor filled his senses. "Huh? What?"

"Oh? Awake are we?"

"Where?" Gai was confused. "N...no!" His hands were chained together, and his feet as well. He was chained around an ox as if he was a saddle. He growled and pulled at his chains.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not if you like having hands and feet anyway."

He looked up and craned his neck over his shoulder. "Uzumaki?"

The boy glanced back at him. He was sitting on the shoulders of the ox. "Yup."

"What? How did...?" He growled. "These chains won't hold me long..."

Naruto sounded cheerful. "If you break them, the explosive tags wrapped around your wrists and ankles will explode. You're pretty strong, but I'm pretty sure I can beat you if you've got no hands and feet."

The man shook his head, his temples were throbbing. "What happened?"

The hooded nin chuckled. "Since this is some kind of test, I guess I can explain it all. The drugs took a little while to knock you out. I needed you to show me where this was before you passed out."

Gai was pale as he saw the scroll in the boy's hand. "What? How did you find that?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder at him. "Well, I realized that the one in your dresser was fake. This one is worn, but the paper on that one was brand new. It was a good forgery, and the jutsu inside it was a tracking jutsu.

Gai growled. "You weren't supposed to open that."

The boy shook his head. "No. I wasn't supposed to open this one." He waved it over his shoulder and put it back in his shirt. "I haven't. Once you realized you'd been tricked, you assumed that I was distracting you while I went for the real one. You know, the one that had the jutsu on it that would let you know when anyone disturbed the hiding place." He looked ahead down the road.

Gai nodded. "How did you find it?"

Naruto shrugged. "I saw where you were looking, and had the local foxes search the area while I was keeping you busy and waiting for the drugs to take effect." He turned back to look up the road they were traveling down. "After they found it, I had them show me where it was once I had you subdued."

His prisoner seemed confused. "Drugged me? I saw you. I knew it was you immediately. You never got close enough to slip me anything. When did you manage it?."

"You were supposed to notice him. What you didn't notice, was that I was behind the counter the whole time. I was the guy who cooked your food. The real owner of that place was knocked out in the back." Naruto chuckled again. "The suspicious looking stranger was just there to keep your attention. I added the drugs to the food when I cooked it. That's why I flashed that bottle, so you wouldn't bother thinking that you were already eating the poison." He looked at his prisoner and seemed cheerful. "You see, I never got close, so you figured I noticed that you were too guarded to worry about it." He looked up the road again. "Heh. After that, I had you running around, so you figured the warmth and perspiration you felt was just from running about, and not because of the poison taking effect. It also got your heart rate up to get it into your system a bit faster. I was a little worried you'd pass out before you showed me the area you hid that scroll in for a bit."

Gai frowned. "I thought that beef stick was a little tough. The vegetables were a little over done as well." He looked around. "Where are we?" He was working at the lock with a pick from inside his sleeve.

"The gate of Konoha of course. You can cut it out with the lock pick. It's just a piece of plastic, it'll break before you unlock those chains with it. I'd drug you again, but I've kept you sedated the whole trip back. I just gave you that to keep you distracted while I gave you another dose if I miscalculated and you woke up too early." Naruto hopped off the oxen and grabbed the rope. He walked ahead and pulled the animal behind him.

"Uzumaki." Gai looked over the animal's side and saw the gates of Konoha. The Hokage was standing with Anko, Kakashi, Ibiki, and Iruka. The old man looked very pleased and nodded at the boy in greeting as he handed him the scroll.

Iruka looked shocked at the scene before him. "N-no way!"

Kakashi gave a heavy sigh. "I warned him."

Anko nodded. "Impressive. I guess that's the end of that."

Naruto seemed cheerful. "So. Did I pass this test of yours? What is this anyway? An induction exam for the ANBU? Some sort of unofficial Chunin thing?"

The Hokage chuckled. "In a manner." He looked at Kakashi. The man had his head in his hand as Ibiki took the rope leading the ox from Naruto's hand with a chuckle.

The scarred interrogation specialist chuckled. "Come on. Let's get you out of these chains." He caught a set of keys Naruto tossed him and started to unlock them.

Gai looked a little nervous. "What about the explosive tags?"

Naruto glanced at him and seemed amused. "Nah. Those are just regular strips of paper with some scribbling on them."

The Jounin got a little wide eyed. "Wh-what?"

The boy shrugged. "Hey. If you'd really broken the chains, it might have hurt the ox. I didn't want to carry you back myself if you called my bluff and I had to catch you again. Besides, that was just a precaution in case the drugs wore off too fast and I didn't notice."

Anko gave a heavy sigh. "Well, I guess that's that. I've got to admit, even I'm surprised. I didn't think there was any way he could pull it off."

The Hokage chuckled. "Do any of you doubt my decision still? Do you think he cannot handle it?"

Kakashi gave a heavy sigh. "I still say he's not experienced enough. I won't argue against it. I'm confident he'll do well, but...I hope you realize he's still green. He won't have an easy time of it."

Iruka glanced at him and nodded. "I'd have to agree, but...this is beyond me. I don't think I have any place in it." He looked at Naruto. "Good job."

The hooded boy scratched his head. "What's this about anyway?" He seemed a bit confused and seemed to realize that something about what was going on was a bit abnormal.

Kakashi stepped forward and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're being promoted..." His instructor paused for a moment.

Naruto nodded. "Oh. That's..."

The man finished. "...to Jounin."

Naruto got a bit wide eyed. "What?!" He looked at the group that was looking at him in what seemed like a mixture of pity, amusement, and pride.

Sarutobi walked up to the boy's side and put his hand on his shoulder. "This test isn't something that's normal. Usually, a Jounin is selected by myself, from within the ranks of Chunin. Only our most excellent performers are chosen. I'll explain. Two days ago, I held a meeting..."

OooOOooOO

Kakashi stood in front of the Hokage's desk, with him was Iruka, Gai, Asuma, and Anko.

The old man puffed on his pipe as he looked at the trio. "Well, now that we've discussed the promotion of Nara, Haruno, and Uchiha, there's one other who should be discussed."

Anko gave a smirk. "Uzumaki."

The old man gave a nod. Kakashi looked at the woman. "I'm guessing you're handing him over to her to prepare for the ANBU."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes. In fact, I'm giving her your whole team. There will be introductory training of course, but I expect the team to remain intact. They work well together, and their skills are growing to compliment each other quite well. In fact, Uzumaki will be the squad leader, as a Jounin."

Everyone froze in place and looked at the old man with wide eyes.

Asuma took a step back, his cigarette was dangling from the end of his lip. He glanced at Kakashi and kept quiet. It wasn't really his business to speak up.

Kakashi took a staggering step forward. "Wh-what?"

Iruka's jaw was hanging. "With all due respect sir. I know this is far over my head, but I've got to protest. I realize I was wrong about the exam, but there's no way he's ready for this! He's not even spent a day as a Chunin!"

Gai frowned and nodded. "I must respectfully agree."

The old man shook his head. "I'd say he has. Isn't that right, Kakashi?"

The Team Seven leader hung his head. "Yes. He's been leading the team since the Wave Country incident. He's not officially been a Chunin, but he's been acting like one within the team. I..." He shook his head. "I cannot agree with this. He's inexperienced, and he's not ready. He doesn't have the requirements."

Sarutobi arched his eyebrow. "Requirements? What requirements? I'm fairly certain that this is a promotion position, and that it is my prerogative. Tell me, what areas do you find him lacking in?"

Gai frowned. "Sir, he's very young. I admit he is an excellent student, Kakashi speaks highly of him, but this... He is not yet worthy."

Kakashi nodded. "I have to agree. I'll be the first to speak for him. He's a genius, but he lacks the basic skill requirements for the job. He doesn't know a single elemental manipulation or recomposition. He's got no skill in Genjutsu."

Maito nodded. "I'm afraid I've got to agree. He'd never defeat Lee in Taijutsu."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes. I understand these concerns, but I must remind you, that elemental manipulation and recomposition is...well...some of you Jounin overrate it's importance. Besides, this is not something that will be dumped upon his head all at once. He will be trained, and won't be the first to receive such training after his rank has been given. I should also remind that Genjutsu is kind of a moot point. I'm sure you've noticed, but his unique abilities have granted him an immunity from most Genjutsu techniques. Neither one of you protected him from the attack on the Arena, and he was unaffected by a very high level Genjutsu assault."

Kakashi stiffened up. "Sir, with all due respect. I must ask what makes you think he's qualified?"

The old man nodded. "A fair question. He is loyal and disciplined. He's tactically superior to all of you. You can't argue against that, he wrote the manual that we use to teach tactics at the academy. He's a skilled user of Ninjutsu, though he does not use the type of jutsu you typically expect a Jounin level nin to use. His information gathering and spying skills are exceptional, he's shown an aptitude for assassinations and infiltration, and his basic chakra control is superior to yours."

Kakashi gasped and sounded a bit annoyed as he started to uncross his arms. "What? That's not..."

"Actually, it is." The group turned around and gasped. A man with long white hair and kabuki makeup was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. "Control wise at any rate." Jiraiya was watching them all and glanced at Sarutobi. "I can't say I agree with this myself, but...to be honest. I'm having a hard time finding a good reason to argue against it. Aside from the fact that he has only a little working experience."

Hokage nodded. "Yes. What little he has, is superior performance. He's handled his missions with exceptional talent, and his team has grown stronger and more skilled because of his presence. I don't expect him to take students any time soon, but...I do believe he will become a great teacher."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya. "What do you mean? His control is better than mine? I don't see it."

The man shrugged. "He can turn the flow of his chakra on and off at any point on his body in an instant. He can also do this quickly, in rapid succession. I know you showed him the tree climbing technique, and that Ebisu showed him water walking. He didn't follow your training instructions."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "He took it to a greater level. When he uses those techniques, he only uses chakra in his feet when they touch the surface he is walking on. Once he loses contact, he retracts his chakra, and repeats it as needed. It uses less chakra, and helps keep him hidden from those who can sense chakra. Your manipulation skill is superior, and you're definitely better at recomposition, but...as far as pure basic control, he's better than anyone in this room, including me. He lacks training in several areas, and I'd like to work with him myself a little concerning that." He looked at Sarutobi and frowned. "I hope you know what you're doing. I agreed to come because you gave me certain assurances. Still, this doesn't sound like what you wanted from me, though, it is interesting."

The Hokage nodded. "Yes, I'd like to speak with you concerning that after this meeting." He turned to look at the others gathered in the room. "I understand your concerns. I feel he will benefit from this. I don't plan on drowning him right away, his early career will involve training, and preparation, just as Kakashi and Gai did. I'm not sending him off on S class missions as soon as he receives his uniform. Calm yourselves."

Gai frowned. "Such power can be dangerous for one so young."

Kakashi glanced at him. "His ego is the least of my worries. I was his age when I became a Jounin. He's not arrogant or foolish. He seems careful and wary of that, so it's not a big concern for me."

Asuma spoke up. "This isn't my concern, but...I agree with Kakashi as far as that goes. Shikamaru is friends with him. What little I know of him tells me he's not an arrogant boy. He seems pretty laid back."

Gai glanced at the two Jounin nodded. "Times were different then. I mean you and the boy no disrespect, Kakashi, but he is not yet ready, or worthy, for the title and rank of Jounin. Let him remain a Chunin for a time, and prove himself for a few years more first."

Anko narrowed her eyes. "I've got to agree. My job will be to get him ready for the ANBU, and I will. His rank doesn't mean much to me, but...I'm afraid I'm with him."

Jiraiya glanced at Sarutobi. "To be honest, I'm afraid I agree with the Sarutobi sensei. However...I can see that all of you have reasons for concern. It's not really of any concern to me, but...I think the boy can handle it. Though, it may be harder on him than we imagine. Even then, I believe he will come through. He's a rare find for a nin. I understand your concerns, and agree on some level, I feel he's strong enough in mind and body to handle it. He's very disciplined, especially for one so young in such peaceful times."

The Hokage nodded. "Yes. I admit this is a difficult decision, and a bit unusual. I've thought long and hard upon this, but...I feel with the protest given, a test is in order."

Kakashi cocked his head. "Test?"

Gai frowned. "I see."

Sarutobi nodded. "We will give him a nearly impossible task. If he is able to complete this task, he will be given the rank of Jounin. If he fails, he will remain a Chunin. Either way, he will be given to Anko, to prepare him for the ANBU with his teammates."

Kakashi gave a serious nod. "I see. I can accept that."

Gai narrowed his eyes. "Yes. That will do."

Sarutobi put a worn scroll on his desk. "Gai, so that there is no question of loyalty in this test with others, you will administer this test. You will take this. Go to the village of Saitogakuri just outside Konoha. There you will wait. Naruto will be tasked with defeating you, capturing you alive, and bringing this scroll back unopened. He must complete this task within three days, or he will fail."

Anko gave an amused snort. "There's no way he'll pull that off. I doubt I could do it, never mind in only three days."

Kakashi seemed to relax a little more. "Gai." He looked at the man. "I realize that you won't intentionally lose, but..."

The man turned to look at his rival and gave him a sparkling smile. "I shall do my best not to seriously harm..."

Kakashi shook his head. "No. You do what you have to. Take Naruto as a serious opponent. If you get even the slightest chance, crush him. He's young and it's true he won't defeat you in a fight, but he's very smart. Take this fight seriously, as if he intends to harm the village. As soon as you see him, you do everything you can to beat him. Even if it means hurting him. I know you won't kill him for an exam, but if you take him lightly for even a moment, he will take advantage and defeat even you."

Asuma looked shocked. Gai gave him an odd look, and Anko chuckled a little.

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes. Kakashi begins to see my point."

Everyone looked at the old man's grin, he was giving Gai a serious looking warning with his eyes.

Maito returned the glare and clenched the scroll. "For the honor of Konoha's Jounin, I shall not lose."

The Hokage nodded. "Very well. That is all. Kakashi, I need you to leave the village for a short time. Come back tomorrow afternoon, I'm sure Sakura and Sasuke would like you to be there when they receive their promotions."

Kakashi gave a nod and turned away. The rest of the room followed him out except for Jiraiya.

The Hokage turned his eyes on Jiraiya, he was the only one who had remained. "As for you...I have need of your help."

The white haired nin frowned. "If this is about retiring..."

Sarutobi chuckled. "No, no. I have a unique problem. There has been an unusual injury as a result of the exams. None of our medical nin are able to do anything about it." He got a serious frown on his face and gave a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid the only one I trust to find the only one with a hope of dealing with this problem is you."

Jiraiya nodded. "I see. You want me to find Tsunade." He leaned against the desk and looked over his shoulder. "I'm sure that's not all you want with her."

Sarutobi gave him a small smirk. "Well, it is true that I need her. I would be asking this of you anyway. Still, it is a unique problem, and she is the only medical nin with enough skill to help with the problem. It will be enough of a challenge to interest her I think. Though, it might take a little convincing."

The Sennin nodded. "I'll do it, on one condition..."

The old man gave a chuckle. "I'll agree to it on one condition."

Jiraiya frowned. "You don't know what I..."

"Naruto. You want to take him with you. Fine, but I need you to take Sakura Haruno as well. You may need her to help convince Tsunade that she should come and help. It will be an example of the challenge of this task that may entice her to come here."

The white haired Sannin frowned for a long moment and seemed to think. "All right, but she'd better not get in the way."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Don't worry about it, she's...a spirited girl. Doubly so in recent times, and that's part of the problem here."

Jiraiya nodded and turned away to leave. "I'll pick him up a day or two after your little test."

OooOOooOO

Sakura Haruno sat on the end of her bed. Her head was hung low, and she had a rather vacant look in her eyes. She was staring into a mirror and just sitting, not crying, not frowning, just looking. She'd returned from the hospital a few hours before, and the news hadn't changed. Not that she'd expected it to.

She had Ino's mind, it was inside her. It was more than that though, it was twisted, broken, intermingled with her own. There was nothing anyone could do. The medical nin of Konoha were absolutely dumbfounded. What had happened to her rival, friend, and fellow nin was unprecedented. No one had ever seen anything like it, her mood shifted in dramatic swings, she was now aware that she was blacking out in small spurts of regression into the girl's mind.

There didn't seem to be anything anyone could do about any of it. They were keeping Ino alive, but as it stood. She would be like she was for the rest of her life. She looked towards her closet and clenched her fist.

Both she and Sasuke now had new uniforms, black and gray, with flack jackets, masks, and swords like the one Naruto already wore. Her's was that of a bear, Sasuke had been given a tiger mask. Her father and mother had both expressed a great deal of pride, and congratulated her.

Naruto was gone, no one but the Hokage knew where he was. It was confusing, and frustrating.

"Now what?" She squeezed her eyes shut and fell back onto her mattress. "What do I do? Who the hell am I?" She'd used Ino's Shin ten shin on Shikamaru to test the problem, and it had worked. As if she'd been doing it for years.

She had no idea if she could even handle her new job, but...it didn't matter. The old man had told her her teammate would return in a few days at most. Until then, she had nothing to do but sit around and think. The worst possible scenario given her mindset.

Both she and Sasuke were both Chuunin now, and they had been told they would soon begin their training to be inducted into the ANBU. The Hokage had told her that she'd displayed the necessary skills and a level of tactics that had given her the rank. Sasuke had been given similar praise. Their skills as spies and assassins had caught the attention of the ANBU, she knew Naruto was to blame for that. Still, she couldn't fault the reasoning, she'd learned a lot about stealth from him, and their whole team had become somewhat specialized as spies and assassins. It wasn't as much of a surprise as it should have been.

Shikamaru had been promoted to Chunin as well, but wasn't joining them in the ANBU.

Kakashi had met her and Sasuke after the meeting had ended and congratulated them, late as usual. It had felt good, and taken her mind off of recent events for a time.

They would be given their new assignment in a few days. Her parents had praised her, but her whole home had also been a somber place. Ino's parents weren't angry with her, in fact, they had been very supportive. To them, she represented hope for their daughter. Her family knew of it, but she had no idea what to think of it all. It was almost too much.

Naruto wasn't there. "Where the hell is that jerk?" She rubbed at her eyes. She knew damn well if she'd been promoted, so had he. Yet, he had been given some sort of mission it seemed.

A knock came on her door. She sat up and opened it, finding a familiar face hidden behind a mask standing there. "Hey. I just got back and heard about everything. Congratulations." On his belt he had a mask like the one she'd been given, a fox. Once again, not much of a surprise.

Naruto seemed pleased to see her. He was wearing his black and gray uniform already.

The girl blinked. "Oh. You're back then?" She gave him a weak smile.

He nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to drop by, it's not too late. I hope you don't mind."

His teammate nodded. "Thanks. Have you seen Sasuke yet?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. I'll see him tomorrow. It's a bit late to make it over there tonight." He stepped aside as she walked out of her room. "I also wanted to ask about...you know...Ino and all that."

The pink haired kunoichi flushed a bit. "Yeah. She's still in here." She tapped at her skull and gave a weak humorless laugh. "We don't know if there's anything anyone can do."

Naruto gave a nod. "Don't worry. We'll do our best to figure it out."

Sakura blinked as she looked at his uniform. It was different than her own. "Hey. You're..."

The boy flushed a bit. "Yeah. Jounin. I'm not sure how I managed that. It kind of worries me. I'm not interested in a promotion I didn't earn. Seems that whole mission thing they sent me off on was some kind of stupid test. Go figure." He scratched at the back of his head and seemed a little embarrassed.

Sakura nodded. "Wow. I'm...sure you'll do great. You're the best of the three of us. I guess...I'm not that surprised really."

He gave a small snorted laugh. "Shocked the hell out of me. We're supposed to meet tomorrow afternoon. Some kind of assignment. I'm planning on seeing Sasuke in the morning. You know, congratulate him and all."

The girl nodded. "Yeah. Thanks. I'll see you then."

Naruto gave her a nod. "Yeah. I just wanted to say congratulations." He turned away and walked a few steps before turning his head to look back. "Hey. Don't worry, we'll do our best and help your friend." He gave a forced sounding chuckle. "I'd rather not have to teach you to shut up again. That girl can really run her mouth. We'll be fine, all of us."

Sakura looked annoyed for a moment, but smiled at him. "Naruto, thanks. Congratulations. I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded and left her standing in the hall. She opened her door and walked back into her room. Suddenly, her bed looked very comfortable and inviting.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Training Trek: The search for Tsunade.

AN: Just a side note here. To nip a few things in the butt. I don't care what the Databook says. Those things contradict each other and cannon too often to be any more reliable than a fan website. Mostly useful, but sometimes just plain wrong.

Jounin is a promotion position. There are no 'requirements' the Hokage decides who he wants to promote based on his own judgment. This is explained in the Official Fanbook by Kishimoto, which only serves to prove my point about the databooks being a bit contradictory sometimes. Kakashi was talking about what is normal, not required, later in the manga. The language he uses to explain it isn't absolute. Jounin 'usually' know at least two elemental types, but it's not required. It also seems implied that some of this training may be given after the promotion. The military does things like this from time to time.

It's also interesting to note, that yeah, he actually does have his own personal spy network now, already embedded in any country that has foxes living in it. I.E. all of them.


	22. Chapter 22

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 22

Training Trek: The search for Tsunade

OooOOooOO

Naruto gave a cheerful grin as he waved to catch Sasuke's attention. He'd run into his teammate while walking towards the boy's home on the main street of Konoha. "Hey." There were people bustling about their business as they met and stopped in front of each other.

The raven haired nin was wearing his Chunin vest over his normal clothes. Sasuke had his sword on his back, and had seemed very relaxed. "Huh? Oh...it's...you..." He seemed confused for a moment as if he was realizing something as he drew near.

Naruto seemed pleased to see him. "Congratulations and all. I see you got your promotion. Sorry I missed it. I had to run off on a mission it seems."

Sasuke was looking at him with wide eyes. "You're..."

The hooded nin gave a small sigh. "Yeah. Jounin. I missed your promotion because I got sent off on some sort of test. I was going to drop by and see you last night, but...it was a bit late." He was wearing his vest, they weren't supposed to wear their ANBU uniforms yet, but they were permitted to wear the blades. He'd worn it the night before after he gotten fitted for it, but wouldn't wear it again until he started training for his new job with his team.

Sasuke frowned and looked at the ground. "Heh. Seems I'm still stuck under your thumb then."

Naruto looked annoyed. "Yeah well. It was kind of a surprise for me too you know."

"Uzumaki?" The pair turned and found Shikamaru walking up to them. "Hey. I see...hey...that's..."

"Yeah." Naruto scratched at the back of his head. His son poked his head out of the back of his hood and gave a yawn as he looked at the pair talking to his father and settled to relax on his shoulder.

Shikamaru gave a whistle and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Wow. Now I feel sorry for you. I thought I had it bad."

Sasuke frowned at them both. "Sorry?"

Naruto seemed to cheer up a bit. "Well, it's nice to know someone understands. I just hope I'm not in over my head. Everyone keeps saying how great it must be. It's kind of a pain really."

Shikamaru gave a small grunt. "Yeah. Tell me about it. I guess I can't blame them. I can't argue that it's not fair I guess."

Uzumaki chuckled. "Yeah. I suppose not. I guess I overdid it a bit."

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever. I'm supposed to be meeting with Kakashi soon. Something about training."

Naruto glanced at him. "Yeah. Sakura and I are leaving for a bit." He turned his attention towards Shikamaru. "It seems we're going with that perverted Sennin to find someone. A medical nin. Seems Hokage and Jiraiya know of someone who might be able to help with Ino. I've got to meet with Sakura this afternoon and meet up with him. We might be gone a little while."

Sasuke looked a little surprised. "Huh? You're leaving?"

His teammate gave a nod. "We're going to get some training done while we're gone I guess. I suppose it's technically a mission, but...I think we'll get by with just the two of us this time. Shouldn't be that hard."

Shikamaru gave a serious looking frown. "Well, good luck."

Uchiha nodded at the both of them. "Well, I've got to be going. I guess...I'll see you when you get back then." He turned away and walked off with his hands in his pockets.

Nara frowned at his back. "What's with that guy?"

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "He's always been like that. Don't worry about it." He noticed Shikamaru arch his eyebrow a little and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, hey, Kira."

The female kitsune gave him a smile and bowed her head. "Hello, Boss."

Shikamaru gave a small sigh. "What is it with you and women anyway?" It was another total babe in clothes at least two sizes too small. She seemed shy and gave him a small polite bow.

Naruto hung his head. "Just another of the pervert crew. This is Kira, she's one of the foxes."

Nara shook his head. "Yeah. I figured. Hey. I'm Shikamaru." He started walking off. "I'll see you then. I'm supposed to meet with Choji soon." He looked at the girl with him. "Nice to meet you, I guess."

The hooded boy gave a small wave. "Yeah, see ya." Kitsuma yipped at the girl beside him in greeting as he woke up a little more. "What's up?"

The violet haired girl flushed a bit. "I'm supposed to accompany you. Koruma and Masara are here to train the Prince. I'm supposed to train with you."

The boy looked a bit wide eyed. "Train me? What? Some sort of fox techniques? I thought I couldn't do that kind of stuff cause I'm human."

The girl gave a nod and seemed to think on it. "Well, I am supposed to help with your...technique I suppose."

Naruto gave a small shrug. "I think I'm supposed to be learning from that perverted Sennin. I don't know if I'll have time to train with you."

The girl smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry. It won't interfere."

He glanced at her and nodded with a confused frown. "Uh. I guess it's all right. I've got a bit of time before I meet with him and Sakura anyway." The pair walked along the road for a short time in silence. They turned off the main road and ended up on an empty path that the faces of the Hokage overlooked.

Naruto looked up at the faces on the mountain as he stopped in the middle of the quiet stretch and put his hands in his pockets.

Kira stood behind him and gave a gentle smile. "You must be proud of him."

The boy looked back at her. "Huh? Proud of him?"

The girl looked up at the mountain. "The Fourth, he was a great man."

Naruto seemed surprised. "I never met him. I don't know, I'm not so sure I like him." He hung his head a little for a moment before turning his eyes on the face. He was the one who had sealed the demon inside him. The one who had caused everyone to hate him when he was younger. His eyes softened a little, it wasn't so bad anymore.

"What do you mean?" Kira looked confused.

The boy looked over his shoulder at her. "He's the one who sealed that...the Queen inside me. He died saving the village. I guess...I can't really hate him." Things were different now. It was something he'd not stopped to think about before.

Kira smiled at him. "I didn't know him myself, but I remember him. I've lived around Konoha my whole life. I don't remember before the village was here, but I remember when it was very young. The Fourth, he was very strong, and the kindest of the Hokage. It's a shame he had such a short life."

The boy nodded and stared at the stone face. It was familiar, but he'd never stopped to look at it that much. "I guess." The people of Konoha didn't treat him the way they had before. There were still a few who gave him cold stares, but most of the people would smile and greet him now. Parents wouldn't pull their children close to their sides and move around him anymore.

Kira put her hand on his shoulder. "You should be proud of him. He did a great thing for this village. He...defeated the Queen, but..." She flushed. "Please, don't tell her I said it...but..."

He looked at her and felt something dark stab at his heart. He felt cold, and numb for a moment. Something angry flared up inside him for a moment, but it faded. He was married to the one who had killed that man, killed his parents, Iruka's parents, and many others of Konoha. "I..."

Kira spoke in a quiet tone. "Do not mistake what I say, I don't think she wished to be defeated by him. She doesn't like humans, but...there was one she hated above any in Konoha. She had no grudge against this place. Your father, the Fourth, did a great thing in stopping that one's hatred. She didn't want to be sealed inside his son, but...destroying this place was not her will."

Naruto was frozen, his eyes were wide as he looked at her. "What?"

The girl gave him a gentle smile. "She was not pleased with being sealed away, but her true anger, was with the one who had summoned her here, and set her loose upon it to destroy it for his own reasons. She did not like being used for human ends, and she preferred being sealed away than being used for the ambitions of a mere human." Her features turned into a dark looking frown. "It is why we were never made to destroy you and free her. She preferred imprisonment to being used as a tool by mere human filth."

Naruto hadn't moved. "What do you mean? The Fourth...my father... He's not..." He looked up at the mountain again. "What?"

Kira looked confused and took a step back. "You...did not know that?"

The boy had tears in his eyes. "It's..." He fell to his knees. "How? Why would he? His own son?" Kitsuma was perched on his shoulder, licking at his face. The kit gave a small whining whimper.

The fox girl looked at the ground. "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said..."

Naruto turned to face her. He was crying. "No. I never knew...no one...ever told me. Why? Why wouldn't they...?" His head slumped down for a moment and he stood up with a confused expression on his face as something else seemed to get through his shock. "What's this about someone controlling the Queen?" He put his hand on his son's head and rubbed at the area behind his ears as he pulled him down into his arms and cradled him there.

The Fox gave him a hard and irate looking frown. "No one can control her. It is said she was fooled, tricked into attacking this place somehow." She turned her eyes away from him. "His name...was Madara. I do not know about how, or why."

Naruto looked up at the mountain. "Madara?" The boy seemed to think about it. "I don't know the name. Well, not anyone who wouldn't be long dead anyway."

The kitsune nodded and stayed silent. "I see."

Naruto wiped his sleeve across his eyes and looked up at the mountain. The face of the Fourth looked out over Konoha. "I..." He pulled his eyes away and started walking at a quick pace. "It doesn't matter anyway. I've got places to be." His head was hung low as he moved off, and his eyes were full of pain and confusion.

The kitsune looked surprised, and hurried off after him. "Wait! I've got to come with you." She was a bit flushed, and feeling like she shouldn't have run her mouth so much. "Oh...shit."

As Naruto walked away, he looked down into his arms where Kitsuma was pulling on his sleeve with his teeth from the crook of his other arm. He slowed down as the kit wrapped his front paws around his wrist and tried to fit his mouth around his hand as he played.

He stopped again and glanced over his shoulder at the mountain and the face carved there with the other three Hokage beside him. He turned his eyes back down towards the inhuman thing in his arms. Kira stopped just behind him, she looked confused. "You're sure? I mean...no one ever told me he was...my..."

The violet haired fox girl nodded. "Yes. I am certain." She hung her head a little. "I'm sorry...I didn't know they never..."

Naruto gave a small snort that half sounded like a laugh as he looked into the fox kit's eyes. "I wonder...what he'd think of his grandson?" He was rubbing at Kitsuma's soft furry belly. The kit was rubbing his head into his arm and enjoying it as he kicked his paws about. "I wonder what mom would think?"

Kira looked at him, unsure of what to say. "I...don't know the answer to that..."

"Well, I'm here...for my son. I'm...going to be a better father than he was. I don't really care what he would think."

The kitsune blushed and nodded. "Yes. I think he would have...if he could. He had a reputation as a good man."

Naruto looked over his shoulder at her. "Maybe. It doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" He started walking at a slow pace again. "Come on. I've got...places to go."

Kira gave a nod and didn't speak. He didn't sound angry or sad. She glanced over her shoulder at the carving of her King's father and narrowed her eyes at it. She followed after him under the gaze of the former Hokage's stone face.

OooOOooOO

Sakura walked up to the gates of Konoha. She had a traveling pack on her shoulders and gave Naruto a smile. It faded a bit as she noticed the girl at his side in a yukata that was smaller than a decent girl should wear. "Naruto, who is this?"

The boy was leaning against the side of a building just next to the gates. "This is Kira."

The under dressed fox girl smiled at her and gave a small polite bow in greeting. "Hello."

The kunoichi nodded at her. "Haruno Sakura." She looked at the boy. "Who is she?"

The girl gave a small shrug, she spoke in a quiet tone. "I work for the Boss."

The pink haired girl's face fell. "Ugh. Another one?"

"Yup." Naruto just gave a nod. "She's coming with us."

Sakura was annoyed. "Huh? What for?"

Jiraiya walked up before the kitsune could answer. He smiled at the pretty older girl and ignored the two teens. "Well, hello. Who might you be?" Within a moment he was at her side with a hungry look in his eyes.

She cocked her head and blinked. "I'm Kira." She shifted a little closer to the boy in the hood and grabbed his shoulder.

Jiraiya arched his eyebrow. "Oh. Are you a friend of Naruto?"

She nodded and backed away a little more. "Y-yes."

"Well, now we all know each other." Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "Can we just go now?" He seemed irate.

Sakura frowned at him. "What's with you?"

He turned his eyes towards the gates. "Nothing. I just want to get out of here." Haruno noticed the fox girl hang her head a little more. She let Naruto go and backed away from him a bit as the white haired man backed off and started towards the gates.

Jiraiya grunted. "Well, it was nice meeting you." He looked at the violet haired girl and smiled as he gave her a wink. "Come on you two." He turned his eyes on Sakura and found the girl giving him an unpleasant frown.

The kunoichi rolled her eyes. "Where are we going? Who is this person we're supposed to find?"

The Sennin shrugged. "I'm not sure. Her name is Tsunade."

They all walked out of the gates together. Jiraiya glanced over his shoulder and frowned. "Eh?" The girl Kira was following behind Naruto. He was lagging behind a bit while Sakura pestered him.

The kunoichi didn't seem to notice his attention was elsewhere. "So, she can help Ino then?"

The Sennin glanced at her. "I'm not sure. If she can't, there's no one who can."

Sakura gasped and turned her eyes towards the ground. She clenched her fist and nodded.

Jiraiya stopped and Sakura with him, Naruto continued moving, walking by with Kira behind him. "Eh. Naruto."

The boy glanced up at him. "Huh?"

The white haired man rolled his eyes. "What's with her? I only said I'd take you and the loud pushy girl."

Sakura's head whipped around to glare at him. "L-loud pushy girl?!"

Naruto gave a snort. "Huh? Oh. She's a kitsune, she'll be fine."

Kira frowned at him and gave a small and rather cute glare. "Yes. I must accompany him."

Jiraiya seemed to relax a little more. "Oh. Well, I guess it's something nice to look at on the way then. Why are you along anyway? Naruto isn't going to be able to play much. He's a Jounin now, and I've agreed to see to start some of his training while we're away."

Haruno was annoyed. "Who the hell is this pervert anyway?"

Kira shrugged. "I'm supposed to teach him as well. It won't interfere. He's the father of the Prince, and he must be prepared."

The Sennin frowned and nodded. "As long as it doesn't get in the way of his training. All right."

Sakura growled a bit. "You're just going to let her tag along?"

The man chuckled. "Why not? I'm letting you tag along."

Naruto glanced back at him. "Hey. I'm not training with you unless we're both learning something. If you want me to act like your student, you're training her with me."

Jiraiya frowned. "Hey. That's no way too..."

The boy started walking again. "I don't need you to become stronger. I'll find this Tsunade, and bring her back here if I've got to knock her out and kidnap her. I'll drag her back by force if I have to."

Sakura looked at him with wide eyes and gasped. "Huh? Naruto, you don't have to..."

The boy spoke up again as he paused and looked back at her. "It's true, I'm doing this for you, but...it's not just for you. Shikamaru and Choji, both of them are relying on this too. That girl Ino as well." He sounded serious. "I won't fail."

Sakura looked at the road. "He's right." She wanted to do it. Not just for herself, but for Ino, and the Yamanaka family as well. "I can't fail either."

Jiraiya crossed his arms and looked a little annoyed. "How are you going to find her without me? You don't even know what she looks like."

Kira smiled as she walked a few paces ahead of them. "I do. I remember when you were just a kit, Jiraiya." She shifted her hips as she moved up to Naruto's side. "I'm more than two hundred years old. I know of the woman we seek. The Slug nin, Tsunade. I didn't know her well, but I remember seeing the three of you in your youth. Training in these woods."

Sakura got a little disgusted as she imagined a very large woman. "S-slug nin?"

Jiraiya gasped as a young Tsunade stood looking at him with her hand on her hip as she smirked at him. "This one, yes?" The young woman vanished and the violet haired fox girl was standing in her place again.

Sakura blinked. It wasn't what she was expecting. "Oh. That's what she looks like?"

Kira nodded. "Well, she's older now, but yes."

Naruto looked at her and back at the man again. "Well?"

The white haired Sennin gave a heavy sigh. "I suppose I'd better. Sarutobi would never forgive me if she killed the two of you. Knock her out and drag her back indeed."

Sakura seemed a bit miffed. "What? You don't think we can?"

The man crossed his arms and shook his head. "Not a chance. She's not some weakling. She's one of Konoha's Legendary Three. You two are very talented, but trying something like that with her would be a lot dumber than you think. She's got a short temper, and she's very strong. That Jounin Gai, is nothing to her."

Naruto looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Well, at any rate. We should get going. I want to find her and get back, so we can start our training."

Sakura nodded. "I want to be myself again when I become an ANBU."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Spirited indeed. All right. I guess it can't hurt. I'll work with you both. I had only intended to train with him though. I don't expect you to..."

She frowned at the man. "Why? Because I'm a girl?"

The Sennin scratched his head. "Not really." He chuckled at the look on her face. "You remind me of Tsunade a little. Don't get so excited." He started walking with the group and looked at the sky. "I'm not sure if you can do it, that's all. He reminds me of someone in a funny way. Totally different personality though."

Sakura frowned at Naruto's back. "He seems a bit grouchy today. Did those kitsune of yours keep you up all night?"

Kira sighed and looked back at her. "Well, we tried. He's stubborn though."

The girl's jaw dropped. "What?"

Naruto frowned at all three of them over his shoulder. "I've just had a lot on my mind today. Sorry. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

Sakura seemed to calm as she glowered at the violet haired girl. "Tramp." She looked up at Jiraiya. "Naruto, reminds you of someone?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. The Fourth was my student. He reminds me of him a little, he wasn't so serious though."

Sakura cocked her head. "Really? The Fourth? That's strange."

Naruto didn't look back at them. "Not really. Why wouldn't I remind him of my father?" His voice was a little tense and he sounded a bit frustrated as he said it.

Sakura looked at him with wide eyes. Jiraiya lowered his eyes and clenched his fist. "He..." His eyes turned towards the fox girl. "I see."

The kunoichi glowered at the road. "His...father was...?"

Jiraiya nodded and answered. "Yes." He looked at the violet haired girl and thought to himself. "I shouldn't be surprised. Of course the Kitsune would know that. I suppose it's good that he knows." He glanced over his shoulder at the village. "I never agreed that he shouldn't be told. I wonder when he found out? Does Sarutobi even know he's found out?" He grunted and muttered under his breath. "It's not important anyway." He realized that there was no longer a reason to keep it from the boy, or anyone else for that matter.

Sakura seemed to think about it. "I never knew. I've never heard anything about that."

Naruto seemed to have relaxed again. "What would it matter if you had? It's not important. I had to work just as hard as anyone else to become a ninja. I've got a lot to live up to now, and I'm going to do my best regardless of who my parents were."

The Sennin gave a serious nod. "He's right you know. Come on." He had a wistful, but somewhat sad look in his eyes as he watched the boy walk ahead of them. Kira moved a bit closer to the boy's side again and stayed right next to him. Sakura walked at Jiraiya's side and they started down the road away from Konoha.

OooOOooOO

Orochimaru was sitting in a chair with his fist on his cheek. He was in a candle lit room with lots of books and clutter on tables and shelves. He was just glaring ahead and not speaking.

Kabuto was standing in front of him. "Sir?"

The serpent man frowned and turned his eyes on his medical nin. "Well?"

"I'm not sure. Your body is holding up well, we won't be needing another for a while." The medial nin frowned and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What is our next move?"

The Sannin growled. "I'm not sure yet." He looked straight ahead. "Suggestions?"

Kabuto shook his head. "We could kill the child of the Nine Tails? I could take care of Uzumaki. Get rid of him."

Orochimaru leaned forward and closed his eyes in thought. "I failed."

The former spy knew better than to speak.

His master gave a chuckle. "Nothing to say?"

The gray haired nin shook his head. "Nothing comes to mind. Hokage is out of reach, the Chunin exam won't be at Konoha for a few more years yet. Even then, it will be too well guarded. I won't be able to gain entrance to the exams again, now that I've been revealed."

Orochimaru gave a snort. "The Fox child? Not a chance, if what we know is accurate, he'll be more guarded than the Hokage."

Kabuto gave a nod. "Well, I've started looking into that. I'm afraid there won't be anything viable enough to form a plan around for quite some time. The boy, Naruto, he's an active nin though."

The Sannin nodded. "Yes. Probably a Chunin now. Not impossible, but it wouldn't gain us anything."

His right hand man nodded. "He was an unexpected problem. We'll be taking him into account next time. He's far more skilled than we anticipated. To toy with those four that way..."

The serpent man growled. "I should have had Kimimaro with us. Those idiots, they should have realized they needed to use their curse seals when I sent all four of them after that brat."

Kabuto nodded and gave a dark smirk. "They aren't dead, but they are less than comfortable. They won't be making such a foolish mistake again."

Orochimaru nodded. "Bring them to the edge of death. I want to make sure."

The gray haired nin nodded. "Already done. I assure you, they are suffering quite extensively." He stiffened up as his master turned his eyes on him. "What about Uchiha?"

The serpent nin nodded. "I still want him of course. However, he's not alone. Konoha is aware he's been targeted, and they will be on guard."

The nin nodded. "We should focus our efforts on him then."

"Yes. For now that seems like the best option. We still have time for that. There's no need to rush." Orochimaru scratched at the side of his face. "I'll dye him in my colors yet."

Kabuto seemed a little lost in thought. "I suspect Kakashi will be watching over him. He's quite a skilled target. He and his teammates have quite a record, and seem to specialize in stealth operations. He likely won't be easy to track."

"I need to find a way to get close to him. He'll need the curse seal if he's to be of any use." Orochimaru leaned on his chair with his fist in his chin.

Kabuto gave a nod. "Yes. His blood makes things difficult. Without the curse seal to adjust his body and prepare it for you, the transfer might be dangerous. It may reject you. There's a small chance you might not be so fortunate as last time if that happens. If it does, I expect you'll survive, but you might lose your chance at the Uchiha bloodline."

His master frowned. "I'm aware of that. Itachi isn't a viable option. He's far too strong. Stronger than me, that's why I need the young Sasuke."

His right hand bowed his head. "Well, Sasuke won't be leaving the village for a few months. I suspect he's been made Chunin as well, and he'll be training for a while before we can draw him away from the village."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Yes. He'll probably have the Fox concubine with him as well."

Kabuto agreed. "Yes. That will mean an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone."

His master chuckled and shook his head. "No. Three. Both of his friends will die, that little bitch too. The longer they are together, the more difficult it will be to bring Sasuke to us. He's changing, his hatred was...pathetic...not near good enough. They need to be separated."

The gray haired nin frowned and turned away. "If there's nothing else, I should make sure the four failures don't die. Their usefulness hasn't ended yet."

"Kabuto."

The man stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"What of Kimimaro?"

Kabuto turned away. "I'm not sure. It doesn't look good. His health is fading. I'm not sure there is anything anyone can do for him. He will be useful for a while, but...I don't recommend a transfer. It may not be possible."

Orochimaru frowned. "Then, we may need Uchiha sooner than expected. There is still plenty of time for that though. This body, it's doing well."

His medical nin nodded. "Yes. The signs of breakdown are minimal. It should do for quite some time."

"Good."

OooOOooOO

Kakashi was leaning against the wall of the sweets shop waiting. He turned and looked over at two familiar nin approaching. "Hey. You two look good together. Are you dating?"

Asuma and Kurenai were walking side by side approaching him. The woman gave a smile and spoke up. "I thought you didn't like sweets. What are you doing here?"

The gray haired nin shook his head. "No. I'm just here to pick up a few things, and I'm waiting on Sasuke." He glanced back at the two mysterious looking men dressed in black kimono with red clouds printed on them. They were wearing sugegasa hats and had their faces covered.

Sasuke walked up. "It's very different for you to arrive first Kakashi sensei."

The man gave his student a cheerful expression. "It only happens occasionally."

The boy seemed to notice that the two figures who had been sitting in the shop had vanished. "I hate sweets." He didn't flinch or blink when Kurenai and Asuma vanished.

Sasuke looked at him and frowned. "We're not going to help out? Those two didn't belong here."

The man nodded. "They'll be all right." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll be training with you for a bit. Naruto and Sakura are both..."

His student nodded. "I know. I ran into Naruto this morning. He said something about going off to find someone to help with that girl Ino."

"Well, I'll meet with you later." Kakashi nodded. "We'll get some training in I'm sure. It might be the last time the two of us get the chance to train together."

The boy nodded and looked at the table again. "You're running off after them aren't you?"

Kakashi glanced at his side as he landed on a nearby rooftop. "Well, I suppose that I am."

Sasuke was right beside him, and his attempt to vanish from the boy's side hadn't gone as planned. "I'm not a Genin anymore you know. I don't mind helping out."

His instructor nodded and gave a small sigh. "I'm just going to back them up. They probably won't need help. I'll meet you tomorrow, this is probably nothing."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Fine."

Kakashi dashed off and left the boy standing on the rooftop. He looked over his shoulder and found the boy appeared to have left. "I hope he's really gone." Something Jiraiya had told him a few days before was on his mind. He didn't want Sasuke anywhere near the two strangers until he was certain.

He had a bad feeling though. Jiraiya had requested to look after Naruto, because of some organization called Akatsuki was prowling about. An organization that included Uchiha Itachi. The Sennin seemed to think it had something to do with the Nine Tails.

The Jounin landed in the street. Maito Gai blinked in surprise. "Ah, Kakashi." He grinned at the man.

"I don't have much time. Asuma and Kurenai just went to the north chasing two strangers that I suspect are very dangerous. I need you to go and back them up."

Gai blinked. "Huh?"

Kakashi gave him a serious look. "I don't have time to explain. I'm going to inform the ANBU, but I suspect I've got someone who needs to be kept away from this tailing me. Just go."

The man frowned and nodded. "Very well." He turned and moved off towards the north end of Konoha.

Kakashi frowned and jumped away.

Sasuke watched the scene hidden nearby and frowned. He watched Kakashi move off towards the east and Gai in another direction. He closed his eyes, and watched his instructor leave. "North huh?" He hadn't picked up on the conversation, his instructor had his back turned to him, and he suspected Kakashi knew he was being followed.

After a moment of deliberation, he started moving after Gai. "I wonder what's going on?"

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Sasuke explodes!


	23. Chapter 23

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 23

Sasuke explodes!

OooOOooOO

Just outside Konoha, on a paved road beside a river bank, Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai stood in front of the two mysterious figures. They faced each other in silence for a moment before Asuma spoke up.

"You guys don't look like locals. Mind telling me what you're doing here?"

The shorter of the two strangers spoke up. "Asuma, Kurenai, long time no see."

The Leaf nin man spoke up again. "So, you know who we are. Are you a shinobi originally from this village?"

The shorter stranger lifted up his hat, revealing an unmistakable pair of Sharingan eyes.

Asuma and Kurenai both looked surprised and stepped back. "You!" As the stranger took off his hat, Sarutobi glared at him. "There's no doubt, Uchiha Itachi." The man looked like his younger brother, with short black hair and a laid back posture.

The other stranger removed his hat and mask. "Well, since you already know Itachi, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Hoshigaki Kisame." He had gray blue tinted skin, and shark like teeth and eyes with gill like markings on his face. He had a long wrapped up sword over his shoulder that was as large as he was tall.

Asuma gave them a dark looking grin. "Well, there's no need to introduce yourself. I'll just have to take care of you both."

OooOOooOO

Maito Gai frowned as he rushed towards the riverside. He was outside Konoha, and was moving towards the large chakra presences he felt rise all of a sudden in the distance. "Hmm. A powerful presence."

Sasuke was behind him by a good distance. He landed on a tree branch and looked on as the Jounin picked up speed all of a sudden. He was fast, but following him at that speed would be difficult. "I knew it. Something is going on. Who the hell were those guys anyway?"

OooOOooOO

Kurenai sailed out across the water away from the fight. Her attempt at catching Itachi with Genjutsu had failed, and she'd gotten a kick to the face that she'd almost missed blocking for her efforts. She flipped over and landed on the surface of the water in a crouch.

Asuma was dodging Kisame's swings with his blade. He'd gotten a shoulder injury from the sword's many blades. It was designed to shred enemies rather than cut them. He'd almost taken another hit as he called out to her in alarm. "Kurenai!"

Kisame chuckled. "You don't have time to be concerned with others."

Itachi was right behind Kurenai, and she'd not yet noticed. "As expected from Kurenai, but..." He jumped back and looked over as a green blur passed just in front of his nose. He didn't loose his cool for a moment.

"Dynamic Entry!" Maito Gai landed on the surface of the water after his kick.

"We don't have time for this." Itachi seemed only a little annoyed and nothing more.

Kisame had taken a cut on his cheek and growled as he realized that his opponents weapons a pair of iron knuckles with short knife blades, were surrounded by wind chakra. He performed a hand seal. "Sution! Sukio Dan No Jutsu!"

Asuma jumped into the air and crossed his arms as the water from the river jumped at him in huge quantities in the shape of a shark. "Damn!"

The shark man grinned. "Heh. Nimble, aren't you?"

Sarutobi had his weapons crossed in front of him. "You've just arrived?"

Gai was behind Itachi with a kunai pointed at his back. "Yes. Kakashi sent me while he informs the Anbu of this. I see it was a wise decision. Uchiha Itachi, it has been many years."

The figure didn't look alarmed at his position. "Maito Gai, it has been a while hasn't it? I don't wish to kill any of you, but..."

Kurenai growled. "You will." She turned to face him.

Gai had a serious frown on his face. "What is it you seek here?"

The shark nin grinned at the newcomer. Asuma was hanging back in a defensive posture. "Maito Gai? I've heard of you, a Taijutsu master. Impressive record too."

Itachi spoke up. "Kisame, stop messing around. We didn't come here to get injured. Don't forget the mission."

Gai poked at his back. "What mission?"

Itachi spoke from behind him. "We're looking for something."

Gai ducked and landed on his shoulder. "What? Shadow Clone?" He rolled onto his feet in a crouch. "What the?"

Kurenai growled as she readied a weapon. "I've..." She almost got the wind knocked out of her as Gai landed on top of her. They both went under the surface of the water as the clone exploded.

A moment later they were both standing on top of the surface again looking at Itachi. The former Leaf nin was in front of them and a fair distance away. Gai nodded. "A clever ruse, I'm growing accustomed to fighting clones though. It's a common technique these days."

"Kurenai! Gai!" Asuma had jumped over next to them after seeing the explosion. "He's...strong."

Gai had a half cocked grin on his face. "Yes, he is. He became an Anbu Captain at only thirteen. However, we have yet to see his real power."

Itachi frowned at him. "Why is the Uchiha clan considered the strongest? I'll show you!"

Gai spoke in a loud tone. "Do not look into his eyes! I have trained to fight against the Sharingan. I do not have time to teach you, but you must learn to fight while looking at his feet."

Itachi's eyes calmed a little. "I see. Clever, but fruitless. It only makes this a little more difficult." He turned his head. "What is this child doing here? You shouldn't bring something so weak and worthless into such a battle. Leaf truly has grown weak if it resorts to such things."

A voice from beside the Leaf nin spoke up. "Thanks for the tip."

Kurenai gasped. "Wait! Sasuke! What are you doing here?"

Gai looked over his shoulder and gasped. "What? When did...?"

The boy was standing right next to the trio of Leaf nin. His eyes were wide and angry. His sharingan was going full force as he glared at the man before them.

Itachi turned his eyes on the boy. "What?" He frowned a little more. "I do not have time for this. You should leave."

The boy snarled. "I'll kill you!" He charged ahead.

Itachi sidestepped and let him pass. "Kisame..." He ducked and rolled as a sword blade passed over his head. His head turned and he frowned as his little brother moved by again. Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the back of his shirt and lifted him up. "I didn't come here to bother with you. You're just in the way, just like always."

Sasuke nodded. "I'll always be in your way!" He spun the blade behind his head forcing Itachi to let him go. As he landed he spun around and tried to sweep at his feet.

Itachi slid back on the surface of the water while ducking as three kunai passed over him. "What?" Another Sasuke was behind him. "I see." He spun into a sliding kick that put his foot into the kunai tossing boy's stomach. It flew back and vanished in a puff of smoke. "What?!" He spun around as a familiar and alarming sound filled the air. "Chidori?!"

Sasuke was already almost in his face. He dove and rolled on his side away from the attack as a huge explosion of water sailed into the air after the boy's fist made contact.

The older Uchiha growled as he turned his head. There was a bleeding cut across his cheek. Sasuke growled as he stood on the water's surface and crouched. "I'm going to kill you!"

Gai jumped at Itachi, and the man put up his arm to block and was sent sliding across the surface of the water another ten feet. "Good work, Sasuke!"

The boy ran between them and spread his arms as he looked behind his shoulder at Gai. "Stay out of this! He's mine!"

Maito looked surprised. "What?!" He stepped forward. "You can't..."

Sasuke already had another chidori ready. "I'll kill you! Bastard!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Sasuke wasn't looking right at him, and was charging forward with his hand full of lightning chakra. "This is problematic." He tried to shift aside and looked down at his legs as they didn't respond. "What?!"

There was another of his brother holding his legs under the surface. "Damn!"

The four nin watching the scene looked on with wide eyes as another explosion of water filled the air blocking the result from view.

After it landed a mist was still present. They could all see though, Sasuke was bent across Itachi's knee. His attack had been spent behind the man in the water and cut Itachi's sleeve. The older Uchiha grabbed Sasuke by his throat and lifted him off his feet. "Well, you're still pathetic, nothing. Has your hate not grown enough? Your eyes, are still..."

The boy's eyes flew open, there were two markings spinning around. He grinned at his older brother with rage in his eyes. "Yeah. Right."

Itachi grunted in pain. The Sasuke in his grip vanished as a sharp stabbing struck his shoulder. He growled as the boy landed on his brother's back with the kunai stabbed a short way into his shoulder. It wasn't a deep wound, and the older Uchiha had shifted enough to make it miss his spine. "Clever, but your killing power is still weak." He kicked the boy in his stomach.

Sasuke was winded, and half submerged. He rolled over and coughed a bit of blood up as he gripped the bloody kunai in his fist. "I'll kill...you..."

Itachi kicked his little brother dead in his face. The boy was sent skidding across the surface, and would have sank like a rock if Kakashi had not caught him as he skipped across it like a stone. He put the boy over his shoulder.

"I'm not done yet..." Sasuke managed to mutter.

Kakashi spoke up without looking at him. "I'm afraid you are. You're not getting any revenge today. Another time, Sasuke."

Itachi looked on, and ducked under Gai's kick as the man spun in several attacks. Uchiha backed away staying just out of reach of the assault. "How troublesome."

Gai stopped and glared at him. "What is it you're after? It's obvious you're not interested in Sasuke."

The older Uchiha nodded. "Yes, that's correct. He's worthless. We are after the Fourth's inheritance."

Kakashi glared at him. Sasuke was quiet, but awake. The boy spoke up. "The Fourth?" He was weak and struggling to push himself off his instructor's shoulder.

Hatake frowned under his mask. "I see. Is it...Naruto...?" He felt Sasuke tense up and glanced at the boy hanging over his shoulder as he narrowed his eyes a bit. He'd spoken under his breath, and had not meant for the boy to hear him. He looked at the two men again. "Well, I know it's not just the two of you. Akatsuki, is the name of the organization."

Itachi frowned. "Kisame...kill the others, and bring Kakashi with us."

Gai jumped forward and kicked at the shark man as he took his sword off his back. Kisame managed to bring it up in time to block the kick, but slid back a few feet as Maito landed in front of him in a ready position.

Asuma was right behind him, with Kurenai backing him up. Kakashi was holding Sasuke and staying at the rear. The bearded Jounin had somehow managed to keep his cigarette lit and puffed on it before speaking. "What's the plan?"

Gai glared at his opponent's feet. "We keep them here until the Anbu arrive. They are already on the way."

Itachi frowned at him. None of the nin but Kakashi were even looking at him. "I see. Kisame, forget about it. We're not here to fight a war. It's time to leave."

Kisame glared at Gai for a moment. "A shame, I got excited...too bad."

The Leaf nin looked on as the two men in black blurred and vanished in front of them.

Gai lowered his fists and turned to face the other nin with him. "So, Uchiha Itachi has returned."

Kakashi nodded. "It looks like it. Come on, there's no point in chasing them." He walked off the riverbank and set the boy on his shoulder down.

Sasuke staggered for a moment and looked at the nin with a frown on his face. "I'm going..." He turned and ran off towards Konoha.

Kakashi gave a sigh. "It figures."

Asuma looked on in confusion. "Where is he going?"

The boy's instructor looked a bit irritated. "Probably after Naruto."

Gai nodded. "I see, he worries for his friend? Why though?"

Asuma crossed his arms. "I agree. What's this got to do with Naruto?"

The masked nin just stood in silence for a moment. He looked over his shoulder in the direction Sasuke had run off in and spoke up. "The Fourth's inheritance. I think they might be after...the Nine Tails."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes. "What would they want with that thing?"

Kakashi gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure. I suppose I should go after him. After this, I should probably try to tell him to stay here, but...I doubt he'd listen."

Gai gave a nod. "I see. He is the one you were worried about following you."

The gray haired nin gave a short nod and started walking off towards Konoha. "Well, it seems I should find Naruto myself. I'm sure I'll run into him again along the way."

OooOOooOO

Masara looked at the gasping boy in front of the door and frowned. "Huh? The Boss?"

Sasuke was sweating and short of breath. "Where is Naruto? Did he say where he was going?"

Koruma walked up behind the three tails and cocked his head. "Why? I something wrong?"

The dark haired boy looked up at the redhead. "Someone is after him. I need to find him."

The two girls looked at each other, and a moment later Sasuke had two foxes in front of him. Koruma spoke up as he walked out the door. "What do you mean 'after him'? Who? Why?"

Masara stayed sitting in the doorway. "I'll stay here and see to the Prince then. Good luck."

Sasuke followed the four tails. "My brother."

The animal looked over his shoulder as they moved towards the gates. "Itachi? Well, it's been a long time. What would he want with the Boss?"

The boy looked down at the animal as he jogged beside it. "Something about the 'Fourth's inheritance'. I don't care. I'm after Itachi."

The animal nodded and looked ahead as they moved past the gates of the village. "I see. I can understand that I suppose." He laid his ears back. "What does Uchiha want with the Boss's inheritance? What's that mean? I don't recall him being left anything really. Maybe a bit of money, but that doesn't seem like something Itachi would be interested in." He growled a little.

Sasuke grunted. "What does it matter? They can't have gone far." He glanced at the animal as it jogged along the road away from Konoha with his nose twitching. "What does Naruto have to do with the Fourth's inheritance anyway?"

The fox glanced over at him. "Huh? You mean you don't know?"

The boy looked annoyed. "Know what?"

The animal sniffed at the ground and narrowed his eyes. "The Boss is the Fourth Hokage's son. If the Fourth Hokage left an inheritance, it belongs to the Boss by birthright. What does Itachi want with the Boss anyway?" They were moving at a a running pace. Sasuke was tired and struggling, but pushing himself pretty hard.

The boy gave another grunt. "I don't know. I don't care. I'm going to kill Itachi."

Koruma narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. Well, you better hope we get the chance to rest first. You'll just be killed in that condition." He stopped and started walking.

Sasuke staggered to a stop and turned to glare at the animal. "What are you doing? We've got to hurry!"

The animal continued to trot. "You won't find him without my nose kid. Shut up and slow down and catch your breath or you'll just fall over before we get there. What good are you then?"

Sasuke waved his arm. "I've got to catch up before..."

"I'm not leading you off to get yourself killed. We've got time to walk for a bit so you can catch your breath." The fox sat down in the road. "Neither one of us knows what's going on here it seems."

The boy looked frustrated and balled up his fists. "I..."

Koruma chuckled. "I haven't lived for four hundred years by being stupid." He started trotting and walked along beside Sasuke. "What do we know?"

The boy frowned and glowered at the animal. "It's something to do with some kind of inheritance. They're looking for Naruto to get it. I don't know what it is."

The fox nodded. "Well, I know what you want with Itachi. It's none of my business, but I suggest you forget about it for now. You're not strong enough to beat him, and you won't be for a few years at least. I'm not going to try and stop you, but if you really want revenge, you'll need to be patient. If you want to get yourself killed now instead of getting what you want, it's no skin off my nose. I'm only giving you advice because the Boss likes you."

Sasuke glared at the creature for a moment. "I'll be fine."

Koruma nodded. "Suit yourself. I'm only helping you out because of the Boss you know. I'm supposed to help keep an eye on him. I'm only coming along to try and help him. It seems we're mutually useful to each other for now." He picked up his pace a little more, but kept it at a fast walk.

Sasuke gave a nod. "I know." He kept up with his guide with no difficulty, and his breath had grown quieter. "What's this about Naruto's Dad being the Fourth?"

The animal nodded. "You didn't know? That's weird."

The raven haired Chunin frowned. "Huh? I've never heard that from anyone before. What's weird about it? Are you sure?"

Koruma nodded. "Of course. That's how the Queen came to be sealed in him. The Fourth wasn't the kind of man to steal someone else's child for something like that you know." He trotted along looking pleased. "I remember that day, I remember the day Naruto's birth was announced. There was a big party and the whole of Konoha celebrated. Hadn't been a party like that since Sarutobi's son was born."

Sasuke looked impatient again. "We should hurry. Aren't you worried about Naruto?"

The fox chuckled. "Word will reach him before we do. Masara would know to send a message ahead of us."

The Chunin looked surprised. "Huh?"

The animal trotted along. "Hey. He's the Fox King. I like him, but he's more than a friend to me you know. Any kitsune is obligated to help out here. There's already a message on the way to him."

Uchiha gave a small growl but nodded. "How do you know so much about Konoha?"

The animal perked it's ears up. "These ears aren't just for show you know. Besides, we like a good party, a bunch of us slip in whenever there's a festival or something. We're around more than you think. I've been all over Fire Country, but I've kept my den near Konoha for four hundred years. I was born in the woods surrounding it. We all make the trip to Shadow Realm when we turn two hundred and get our second tail, but most of us live in this realm. There aren't many places in the world with no foxes you know."

The boy nodded and started jogging. "Come on then. I want to catch up before Itachi reaches him. I'm not doing this just to warn Naruto."

Koruma gave a small sigh and picked up his pace. The Chunin was recovered enough to move a bit faster.

OooOOooOO

Kisame and Itachi stood on a small cliff overlooking the hotel town. The shark nin spoke up. "I don't know, you can fight where and when you like, but the time seems wrong."

"Well, this way they can't augment their numbers. The kunoichi won't pose a problem, and the other girl I didn't know. She didn't look like a nin."

Kisame chuckled. "A girlfriend perhaps? Why would they bring her along though? She looks a bit old for the kid. Maybe she belongs to Jiraiya? I'm impressed if a man that age can have someone like that following him around. I suppose being one of Konoha's 'Legendary Three' has perks."

Itachi nodded and frowned. "I never would have spotted him if not for Jiraiya. He's not like the boy I remember."

His companion chuckled. "Grown a bit has he? Well, he's got one of the 'Legendary Three' guarding him. It's good that you spotted him, but that guy might be a match for the First of the Leaf, or one of the Mist's Seven."

Itachi gave a nod. "Yes, it's said that every strong man has a weakness though."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was walking down a dirt road with Kira, Sakura, and Jiraiya. A short distance ahead of them was a hotel town. It wasn't a huge place, but was larger than the small villages that dotted most of the countryside. He paused and seemed to blink as he frowned at Kira, who was almost hanging off his arm.

The man frowned as he looked over his shoulder at the hooded nin. He'd moved up beside the man and had the kitsune at his side. Sakura frowned at the pair, they looked like they were dating, and the violet haired girl seemed cheerful.

Naruto spoke up. "Hey, pervert, we're being followed." He kept moving and Jiraiya paused for a moment before picking up his step to keep up.

"What? Followed?"

Sakura looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

The hooded nin nodded. "I just got a message. One of my clones ran into a fox messenger. Some guy named Itachi is after me, Sasuke and Koruma are on the way here. Some 'Itachi' guy and some guy with a big sword. They're dressed in black kimono with red clouds on them, and they seem to be after me. Something to do with my old man's inheritance. I'm not sure what the hell that means, but they're after me it seems."

Jiriaya nodded. "I see."

Sakura looked confused. "After you?"

The white haired man nodded. "I suspected. I wasn't expecting them to show up here."

The kunoichi nodded and got an irate looking frown on her face. "So what do we do?"

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno. An ambush seems like our best option. What do you think, Pervert Sennin?"

The man looked thoughtful and frowned. "The name is Jiraiya. Don't you know how great I am?" He gave a heavy sigh. "They're probably after the Nine Tails."

Sakura nodded and looked at the boy and the kitsune. "Well, they'll be disappointed then."

Kira had a frown on her face. "What would they want with the Queen?"

Jiraiya gave a shrug. "I'm not sure. She's very powerful, they're probably trying to control that power."

The kitsune sounded half angry, and half amused. "They'd be destroyed. No one controls her power."

Naruto gave a small nod. "Maybe. She's not here though. For now, why isn't as important as what we're going to do about it. Sasuke is coming here as well it seems."

Sakura looked pleased. "Sasuke? Great!"

Jiraiya had his eyes closed and looked up at the sky. "We'll get a room. Our best option is to avoid them. Itachi is an S ranked criminal. If that boy Sasuke is on his way here, he's got more reason than just warning us."

Both of the Leaf nin spoke up at the same time. "What do you mean?"

Kira spoke up. "Uchiha Itachi, he's the one who murdered his own clan. Sasuke was the only survivor."

Sakura got a horrified look on her face and gasped as she covered her mouth.

Naruto remained calm and gave a nod. "So, that's the man he wants to kill. He's mentioned that before, but never gave us any details."

Jiraiya had his arms crossed and his eyes closed in thought. "This is a problem. Itachi isn't someone to take lightly. Killing the entire Uchiha clan was no small matter. They were very strong. He's quite powerful."

Sakura had a hard and angry look on her face. "Maybe we shouldn't stay here then?"

Naruto nodded. "Maybe not, but if we do something unusual, we might tip them off. I don't think we should hide, we should get ready for them. An S ranked criminal isn't something we should pass up. We should try and capture him. He's a wanted man, and we're Leaf nin."

Jiraiya glanced at him. "We've got a mission already."

Naruto looked up at him. "Yes, but Tsunade isn't going to vanish into thin air. We've got an opportunity to set up an ambush. We shouldn't waste it. Besides, this guy is after me. I can't ignore that, I'll have to deal with it sooner or later anyway if that's true."

Sakura pulled on the straps of her traveling pack. "He's right. We can't just ignore this." She balled up her fists. "Besides, Sasuke is on his way here right? Should we just leave him to fight this guy alone if he's really this strong?"

Kira gave a small sigh. "I suppose we won't get any training done tonight."

Naruto nodded. "Probably not." He gave a small sigh. "What a pain. I don't think just running off and hiding is an option at this point." They were moving through the streets of the hotel town and looking about at the people bustling about.

Jiraiya turned towards one of the hotels and waved the group to follow. "Come on, we'll stay here today." He walked up to the counter, and got a couple of keys.

Naruto, Sakura, and Kira stood behind him, looking about at the people wandering the lobby. As Jiraiya turned to face them, a beautiful woman with long dark hair walked into the two male's view and gave the white haired man a wink. She had the attention of both males, and Sakura elbowed Naruto in the gut.

Kira noticed as well and grabbed his arm while leaning in to his ear. "I could look like that later...if you'd like..."

Sakura grabbed her in a headlock. "This isn't the time for that! Pervert!" She turned her gaze over to where Jiriaya was putting the keys into Naruto's hands.

"Here, you go up to the rooms, and refine your chakra as training or something." He followed after the woman as the hooded nin took the keys and glared at him. He arched his eyebrow as he realized the man gave him an odd but serious looking glance as he walked off. "Great."

Sakura was fuming and still had the nervous looking Kira in a headlock. "What? Where is he going? We're about to get..."

Naruto interrupted her. "Pipe down, they're already here. Come on."

The kunoichi released her captive. "Huh? How do you know that? What's going on here?"

The boy pulled on her sleeve and led them towards the stairs to the rooms. "Just come on. We need to get ready. I don't think we've got much time."

She pulled against him. "Where is he going then?"

Naruto continued to pull her away. "I don't think the pervert is being all that perverted right now. Just come on. I don't want to talk about it standing here." He looked over his shoulder and frowned. "Well, maybe a little. Still. We don't have time to deal with it if he is."

Kira seemed pleased. "Wow. This is pretty exciting, Boss."

"Pervert." Sakura growled as she frowned over her shoulder at her as Naruto pulled her along.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke was crouched on the rooftop of one of the hotel town's buildings looking out over the town. It was a bustling place, but the streets weren't packed to capacity either.

Koruma was beside him with his tongue hanging out. "Well, I'm pretty sure they're here somewhere."

Another fox was beside him. "Yeah, Boss came into town. Not sure where he went, but no one said they saw him leave."

The raven haired boy nodded. "Naruto is pretty sneaky, but I doubt Sakura or Jiraiya could slip out like he could."

Koruma nodded. "Shouldn't be too much trouble to track him." He hopped down to street level.

Sasuke glanced at the fox on the roof with him still. "Thanks."

The animal nodded. "No problem." He hopped back in the other direction, away from the town.

The pair stood in the dust, with Koruma with his nose in the dirt. The animal perked up and lifted his ears. "This way."

Sasuke growled and nodded. "Hurry." His mind was flooded with memories of that day, the bodies, his brother standing over his dead parents, the Sharigan as it locked him up in that terrible jutsu. The Mangekyo Sharingan technique 'Tsukiyomi'.

He'd told him he'd killed his entire family, as nothing more than a way to measure his own power. He'd forced him to watch it with the power of Tsukiyomi. He'd told him to learn to hate him, to live through the ugliness, to survive, to hate him.

He did.

OooOOooOO

Naruto gave a sigh as he looked at the door. Someone was knocking and he shuffled over. "Yeah. I'm comin." It was persistent and just hard enough to be annoying.

He opened the door and looked up. His eyes were a bit wide, and his open mouth was hidden by his mask. A pair of Sharingan eyes was looking down at him. "Yeah? You want somethin?" His eyes became a bit wider as they eyes just stared him down. He backed away from the door with a somewhat dazed expression on his face. "Who are you?"

The door opened all the way, and he moved further into the room. His knees were bent, and his arms were relaxed and shaking a little. "What do you want?"

Another nin was standing behind Itachi as the man continued to glare at Naruto. "Alone? How fortunate."

Kisame looked about the room. "Could this child really be the Nine Tails?" He glanced at Naruto with a smug looking grin on his face.

Naruto growled and thought to himself. "So, they are after her. What's with these guys? What do they want with her anyway?"

Itachi entered the room. "Naruto, we would like you to come with us."

The boy narrowed his eyes at them. "What? Who are you? Why should I come with you?" He still looked nervous.

Itachi stepped towards them. "Come out of the room."

Kisame reached for the sword on his back and chuckled. "Itachi, it's time we got started. We should cut off his leg. We don't need him running about." They both entered the room with him.

Naruto stopped shaking and glared at them. "Heh. You dopes." Itachi was reaching for him. The man froze as ribbons seemed to flow off the boy's body and wrap around his arm.

The lights in the hotel went out all at once.

Itachi growled. "What?" Naruto was giving him a wild glare as the ribbons from his clothes wrapped up to his shoulder.

Kisame gasped. "A trap!?"

In the hall, a familiar voice called out. "Itachi!"

The man with Sharingan eyes glanced over his shoulder and took a step back. The boy in front of him had ribbons flowing off of his body that wrapped around the furniture in the room. "Sasuke? This, could be...problematic. Kisame."

The shark nin nodded. "Right." He backed out of the room and pulled his sword off his shoulder.

Itachi glanced as a hissing sound started. The corners of the room were filling up with clouds of green tinted gas. "I see. A clever ambush, but..." As he looked back at Naruto, his eyes went wide. "What?" He put his free arm up as a half fox looking creature that only vaguely resembled Naruto chomped down on his forearm and growled with its eyes closed.

Sasuke was standing in the hall glaring at the tall nin in black with a sword in his hand. "You're not the one I'm interested in."

Kisame snorted. "Well, another pair of Sharingan? Heh. Never thought I'd see that. You're in the way kid."

A voice from behind the shark nin caused the man to freeze up. "Are you sure...he's the one who is in the way?" He tried to turn, but looked down at the floor. His feet were sinking into the mat as if it was made of quicksand.

"Wha? What is this?" A red haired woman was standing behind him. "You? Who are you?"

Itachi burst out of the room with a kunai in his grip and something on his arm. He had pieces of ribbon wrapped around his ankles and arms. The room he'd been in was full of gas, and he took a few breaths after leaving the room as he closed the door behind him. "Kisame! This is a trap!" His head lurched sideways as something struck him across his face. "Damn it!"

Sakura had come out of one of the rooms and lowered a sling shot after launching a canister at him with a grin on her face before vanishing from sight in a blur of motion.

The shark nin growled as the object clattered between them and started hissing as gas poured from the canister. "I noticed." He pulled his weapon up as Sasuke jumped at him in a kick, and the boy bounced off of it. He took a moment to knock the canister of gas away with a wave of his sword. The canister clattered down the hall and tumbled around a corner, and the gas was blown away in the chakra induced breeze that followed.

"Genjutsu of this level?" Itachi glared at the hooded nin that now stood in the hall behind him. "Impressive."

Sasuke screamed at him. "Naruto! He's mine! Stay out of this! It's my fight!"

The hooded nin glanced at him. "Fuck you. These dicks have targeted me. I know what you want with him. I understand and all, but I'm bringing him in, alive. He needs to be interrogated. There's something going on here."

Itachi glared at him. "I see. So, you think you can capture us?" He started to move, but stiffened up.

Sakura landed on the floor behind him with a wire in her grip that was now wrapped around Sasuke's brother in a web that was attached to the walls. "Maybe not just him, but all of us together? Hell, yeah."

Kisame yelled as he stabbed his blade into the ground. The woman behind him gasped and jumped away, landing beside Sasuke. "Damn." The shark nin staggered for a moment and managed to get his footing. "Itachi, it seems there's more of them here than expected." He swiped back with his weapon.

Sakura rolled and hit the wall, missing being shredded, but her wires were snapped, freeing Itachi from the web. "Shit!"

A flash of violet light filled the darkened hall. Sasuke charged right past Kisame while he was distracted with his hand full of energy. "Die! You bastard!" He carved a gouge into the wall with the attack. The wall where Itachi was standing was gone a moment later.

Sasuke gasped as he turned to look his brother in the eyes. Itachi had sidestepped with no trouble.

Naruto became a blur as Kisame tried to step in front of him. The shark nin pulled up his weapon and blocked the sword strike as the hooded nin bounced off the upper corner of the wall and past him. "What?" He spun and slashed as the boy landed and rolled under the strike. "This is...odd."

Sasuke screamed as Itachi grabbed his forearm and snapped the bone with his grip. "You're in the way."

Sakura jumped and slashed at his grip, forcing him to hop back and release his brother. "Sasuke!"

The raven haired boy shoved her aside with his other arm. "Stay out of this!" Sasuke was enraged, and she hit the wall and staggered back.

Kira caught her before she lost her footing and pulled her back a little as she frowned at the two brothers. "Who's side is he on?"

Naruto was occupied with Kisame and growled as he backed out of range of his sword. He had his own weapon between them and crouched.

The shark nin gave a snort. "You're pretty weak. My Samehada eats chakra. Seems you've got none to speak of."

The boy nodded. "What makes you think that's a weakness?"

Kisame gasped as he spun around and found another Naruto stabbing at his back. His weapon blocked the strike and he kicked the new boy away in his chest. "What is this?" The clone vanished in a puff of smoke, and he spun around again, locking blades with the boy again as he charged forward and tried to take advantage. "You...what?" He swiped up, cutting a gash in the ceiling and throwing the hooded nin back.

Naruto landed on his rear and almost lost his sword. "Damn."

Kisame narrowed his eyes. "Well, should I chop off an arm, or a leg?" He hacked down at the fallen boy, and Naruto put his blade up to defend.

A toad appeared between them and blocked with an arm guard, stopping the sword.

Jiraiya was behind Naruto with a woman hanging over his shoulder. "Well, you don't seem to know much about me. I'm better at getting girls, than they are at getting me. Even though it doesn't look like it, it's my specialty. I, this epitome of manliness! I've only got to flash that sexiness and women fall at my feet!"

The boy looked up at him and gave a small sigh. "It's about time you showed up, Pervert Sennin."

The white haired man frowned at the boy. "Quit calling me that in front of others!"

Koruma was behind him. "Ha! As the epitome of femininity, I can say for certain, you're not half as manly as the Boss!"

Naruto glowered at her. "What? Epitome of femininity? Since when? You're a guy."

The redhead played with the ground with her toes. "Well...um...yes. Still...you're much manlier than the pervy Sennin."

Jiraiya growled. "That's not true!"

Kira spoke up. "Yes it is." She looked at the pink haired kunoichi. "Right?"

Sakura frowned. "Leave me out of this." She flushed. "Sasuke is manlier than either of them."

Naruto gave a small sigh, but Itachi and Kisame were looking on with rather disgusted expressions. "We don't have time to argue about it. Shouldn't we be worried about catching these two idiots?" He jerked his thumb at the enemy pair.

Sasuke was glaring at his brother. "I don't care about that. I'm going to kill him!" He charged at Itachi again, only to get kneed in the chest, and take a hook across his jaw. The older brother grabbed his throat and pinned him against the wall. "Enough of this." He closed his eyes to prepare the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Sasuke! No!" Sakura drew a few kunai from her leg and threw them at Itachi.

The older Uchiha jumped back and growled, letting his brother fall onto his rear against the wall as three kunai became impaled in the wall next to his younger brother's head after missing him. "You...this is none of your concern." Sasuke was slumped down, stunned, and growling in frustration.

Sakura stepped back and balled up her fists. "The hell it isn't!" Kira was still next to her and kept her from rushing him.

The younger boy squeezed his eyes shut as his thoughts expressed his frustrations. "What have I been doing? How can it still be this much of a difference?"

Kisame grinned. "Well, we weren't thinking that would stall you long. It seems you've undone that genjutsu on the woman. After all, you are Jiraiya of the 'Legendary Three'."

Naruto gasped. "He's discovered your secret identity and seen through your disguise as a mild mannered pervert!"

Jiraiya looked annoyed. "I'm not a super hero idiot! I don't have a secret identity!" He put the woman down against the wall gently. "Still, that wasn't a very manly tactic." He frowned at the pair as he stood up. "It seems you really are after Naruto."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Yes. So, you're the source of Kakashi's information. Abducting Naruto is our orders from the higher echelons of the organization Akatsuki."

The hooded nin clenched his fists. "Why?"

The blocking toad vanished, releasing Kisame's blade. Jiraiya spoke up. "You won't get Naruto."

The shark nin spoke up. "Why not?"

The white haired nin glared at them both. "Because, right here, right now, you will die by my hand."

Koruma nodded. "Good idea."

"Don't do it!" Sasuke was staggering to his feet. Kira and Sakura were behind him and looking confused.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Maybe one of them. We should try to capture at least one of them for questioning."

Sasuke was on his feet and glaring at his brother. "I don't care. This one...is mine!"

Itachi frowned as he glanced back. "I've got no interest in you right now." He kicked his brother dead in his chest and sent him flying back into Sakura and Kira. The pair managed to catch him, and he pushed them off as he got to his feet.

Kira seemed annoyed and glanced at Sakura. "How do you figure this ungrateful jerk is more manly than the Boss anyway?"

Sakura worked her mouth for a moment before narrowing her eyes at the kitsune. "He is."

The violet haired girl clucked her tongue and looked away. "No way."

The raven haired Chunin charged his brother and Itachi beat the living shit out of him. He pounded on his brother and pinned him to the wall again.

Naruto growled. "What the hell is that idiot doing? Charging in like a mad bull like that? That idiot forgot everything he learned!" He took a step forward, but Jiraiya put his hand in front of him. "Assholes! Let him go!"

Kisame watched, standing between Jiraiya, Naruto, and Koruma and the scene.

Sakura tried to rush forward, but Kira kept her back. "Sasuke!" She got into a small pushing match with the kitsune girl, but paused as something caught her eye.

Itachi leaned in to his brother as he pinned him. "You are weak...still not enough, hatefulness." He closed his eyes to prepare the eye jutsu again. He didn't notice the ceiling tile over his head shift open.

Naruto swung down and kicked at Itachi's face. The man jerked back as the blond nin landed between him and his brother. "Hatefulness isn't strength! It's weakness! You scum!"

Sasuke had a bit of blood dripping from his chin. "Stay out of this...you..."

The hooded nin didn't look back. "I told you already, they've targeted me. I won't kill him, but I'm not just going to stand there while you charge in like an idiot and get killed." He was crouched between them. "I want them alive. We need to know more about this 'Akatsuki' crap. Leave your personal feelings out of this, Uchiha."

Sasuke tried to push off the wall as he growled, but couldn't manage.

Itachi gasped as he ducked under a kick from beside him, he hopped back next to Kisame. "It's time to go."

"Kakashi sensei!" Sakura sounded pleased and relieved.

The gray haired Jounin pulled his foot out of the hole in the wall and held a kunai in his grip as he moved in front of Naruto and Sasuke. "Itachi."

Kisame frowned. "Already? It was just getting fun." He glared at Jiraiya and the other Naruto in the hall. "He's harder to catch than expected."

The white haired nin put his hands on the floor. "Nippo! Gama Guchi Shibari!" The walls became covered in a flesh like substance. "Heh. There's no escape now. You're trapped in my stomach. You two criminals enjoy being food for Iwagawa!"

Naruto looked down and lifted up his feet. "Gross!"

Kisame tossed a smoke ball at where Kakashi was standing. The gray haired nin pulled Sakura and Kira behind him and out of the way as the blue-gray skinned nin slashed at the pair. Kakashi looked on while defending the children as they barreled by. "Damn."

Jiraiya grinned. "No one sneaks away without my awareness here!" His eyes went wide a moment after they rounded the corner. He rushed up beside Kakashi as the man moved after them with him. "What?"

Naruto was behind him. "What is it?"

There was nothing at the other end of the hall but a hole with black flame burning around the edges. The hooded nin stood behind the two men as they looked on. "They got away," noted Kakashi.

"Son of a bitch." Naruto seemed annoyed. He moved past the pair. "Hey. What is with this black fire? Cool! I could use a jutsu like that! No light at all!"

Jiraiya frowned and pulled at the back of his shirt. "Stay back." He pulled out a scroll and unrolled it, after a moment of work, the fire seemed to flow into the scroll as he sealed the flames up and tied it off into the sealed scroll.

Naruto hung his head. "I guess going after them won't do any good...nuts."

Kakashi looked around. "Well, it looks like you might not have needed my help at all."

Naruto looked up at him. "Huh? We almost had him caught. Then that idiot Sasuke showed up and seemed to forget everything he learned. We doused the lights, and the idiot ran in with his hand glowing purple and screaming. What the hell was he thinking?"

Jiraiya gave a snort. "He wasn't."

The raven haired boy appeared with an angry looking glower on his face as he took a swing at Naruto. "I told you to stay the hell..." Kakashi caught his fist.

"Naruto was right. What were you thinking charging in like that? You're no match for Itachi, and you should have realized that. I can help you get stronger, but you're not going to do anything to hurt him if you get yourself killed being stupid."

The raven haired boy hung his head and bit his lip. "I..."

The hooded nin shook his head and gave a small sigh. "This is exactly what I meant about you not being trustworthy. We might have been able to capture him if you hadn't charged in like that. Then he could have stood trial for his crimes against your family."

Sasuke looked up at him with a rage in his eyes. "That's not good enough for me."

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to just stand there and die so you can have your stupid revenge either. They were after me. So quit bitching about me being in the way when I was the stupid target." Naruto moved up to his face and glared him in the eyes as he poked his thumb into his own chest. The pair glared at each other with their foreheads almost touching.

Kakashi pulled them apart. "That's enough you two." He looked at Sasuke. "If you ever want to beat Itachi, you'd better start learning to use your head. You're not going to rush in and overpower someone like him. Ever. Do you understand? Losing your head like that will only get you beaten and killed."

Jiraiya crossed his arms and nodded. "He's correct." A moment later he was staggering back as a green blur impacted his face.

"Dynamic Entry!"

Kakashi put his fist into his palm and seemed to remember. "Oh, that's right. Sorry. I told him to come and back me up if I wasn't back in five minutes."

Gai landed and looked around. "What? Oh...oh dear..." He looked at Jiraiya and scratched the back of his head as he gave him an embarrassed grin. The white haired nin was holding his nose and looking annoyed. "Sorry about that. I was using my forehead protector as a mirror, and I didn't recognize you."

Jiraiya nodded. "So you didn't do it on purpose then? All right. Don't worry about it." He crossed his arms and seemed to forget about it.

Sakura was looking on with the two fox girls. "Boys." Kira said it at the same time as her.

Koruma was chuckling. "Hey. That was pretty funny. Come on."

Kira looked outside. "Hey! It's still early. Maybe me and the boss can get some training in tonight!"

The other kitsune nodded. "Yeah. Good luck with that. Me and Masara tried, but all he did was whine about it."

Sakura frowned at them both. "What training? What are you talking about?"

Kira put her nose up and crossed her arms. "It's nothing. Just something I'm supposed to work with him on."

The kunoichi rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She moved up beside Sasuke. "I think you did great. Really."

He frowned at her and turned away. "Whatever. He got away. I guess I'll be heading back to Konoha now then?"

Kakashi looked at him and nodded. "Yes. We'll get something done with the two of us tomorrow. There's no point in hanging around."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna work your butt off when I get back you dork. You won't be charging in like an idiot that way again while I'm around."

Sasuke growled a bit and turned away. "Whatever."

Gai nodded. "Well, we shall return to Konoha then. Good luck with your mission." He grinned and gave a grin and thumbs up at the group.

Naruto waved as Kakashi gave a small wave with his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The Chunin had his arms crossed and turned his head away.

Sasuke glanced back as Kakashi started to lead him away. "Yeah. Good luck, I guess."

Naruto grinned and seemed cheerful. "Yeah. I'm gonna work his butt into the ground when we get back."

Gai nodded. "I see. Perhaps I was wrong about you. You may turn out to be a true leader yet. I can see that you care for your team if you're willing to train hard with them, and make them stronger. It's a sign of the true and pure spirit of youth! Remember, work hard, and make sure that your own training is just as difficult, and you will surely become one of the strongest of the Leaf's nin!"

Koruma grinned and waved as he left with them. "See you when you get back, Boss! You make sure and train hard with Kira, you'll need it. Trust me!"

Naruto glanced at the violet haired kitsune as she put her arm under his. "Don't worry! I'll take care of everything!" She smiled and waved her fellow kitsune off.

"Sadist." Sakura grumbled. She remembered some of what Lee had said about his training. "Naruto isn't like that."

The hooded nin glanced at her as the man walked off. "Yeah. Well, don't think you're getting out of it either. If I'm going to make him do something, it's not really fair if I don't make you do it too."

The girl tensed up and went a little pale. "Urk."

Kira smiled as she rubbed on Naruto's shoulders. "You're tense, Boss! I'll give you a massage!"

He gave a small sigh. "Not right now. I'm hungry, and..." He looked at the mess that had become of the hall. "I'm guessing it's probably best if we find another hotel."

Jiraiya nodded as he crossed his arms and tried to look very wise. "Yes. I think perhaps is best if we leave before the hotel manager shows up and sees the mess."

Sakura glowered at them all, but didn't argue as they left through the hole in the wall Itachi and Kisame had made. "I'd rather have gone with Sasuke. Oh well. Maybe I'll learn something useful. I'd better after this mess."

With that, the four of them left to find another room.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: Training starts!


	24. Chapter 24

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 24

The Festival.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was walking with a rather dazed and lazy eyed stare as the group moved down a road. Jiraiya was on one side, and Sakura next to his other. Kira was keeping a lazy pace behind the three of them.

Sakura gave a small sigh as she looked up the road. "So, what kind of person is this Tsunade? She's one of the 'Legendary Three'?"

The white haired Sennin looked over his shoulder. "I was wondering when she'd start talking again. It's been quiet for an hour now."

Naruto looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. It's because of that Ino girl. She can't shut up for a minute. Sakura wasn't like this before."

Sakura glowered at them both. "What?"

The hooded nin gave a shrug. "It's true. Ever since the tournament, you've been running your mouth non stop. I understand and all, that friend of yours sure can talk though."

Jiraiya gave a serious nod. "Yes. I can see why you'd want to fix it so badly now. What was it that happened anyway?" When he looked back, Naruto wasn't beside him anymore. Sakura was there glaring at him. He jolted and stepped away from her. He looked back and saw Naruto was behind them with Kira.

Kira was crouched beside her 'Boss', who was face down in the road with a footprint on the back of his head. Naruto pushed himself to his feet and shook his head.

"What was that now? You asked something?" Sakura was glaring daggers at the man.

The Sennin shook his head. "Well, I was wondering what happened. I never got the details on what the problem was in the first place. Only that that Ino girl was injured somehow, and that it's done something to you."

Naruto moved up on his other side and walked along beside them, away from Sakura. "That Yamanaka girl used a jutsu called Shin Ten Shin on a Kage Bunshin that Haruno made. When she broke the jutsu, it screwed up her body pretty bad, and Ino got copied into her mind. Sakura is sort of two people right now."

Jiraiya rubbed at his chin and nodded. "Hmmm. I see. Yamanaka, yes. C-cup, slender, long blond hair. I recall peeping on her before, when I was younger. Very pretty women in that family. Quite perky."

Naruto cocked his head. "I dunno. She was pretty skinny, and tall, as I remember."

The white haired man rubbed at his head and grinned. "Yes. Those are the kind of girls who grow up the hottest. She'll be quite a babe when she's older."

The teen nodded and seemed to think on it. "Ah. I see." This time, it was Jiraiya who was gone when he looked up.

The man had a broken boulder scattered around his head, and was face first in the dirt. "You dirty old man! How dare you look at my mother that way!?"

Sakura had her arms spread and was huffing as she glared at their guide's back.

Kira moved up next to Naruto. "What's with her? She doesn't want her mother to be sexy or get laid? What a horrible daughter."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "How should I know? I'm not going to ask her."

Sakura jabbed her finger at the kitsune. "You're just as bad as he is! You pervert! My dad is plenty!"

Kira nodded and smiled as she blushed and played with the dirt with her toes. "Being perverted is fun though. I love sex, it feels really good."

Sakura's jaw dropped and her hand fell at her side. "Wh-what?"

Jiraiya looked annoyed and brushed bits of stone from his hair. "She's right you know. Don't be so prudish."

Naruto stepped in front of Sakura and pushed back on her shoulders. "Cut it out. I don't like it any more than you do, but we're on a mission right now you know."

The pink haired kunoichi growled, but relaxed. "What kind of person is this Tsunade anyway?"

Jiraiya closed his eyes and seemed to think. "Well, her bust is a hundred and six centimeters..."

Kira grinned and looked at him with wide eyes. "Wow. That's impressive."

The man smiled at her. "Indeed. She's pretty famous."

Naruto gave a heavy sigh as Sakura's temper flared up again. He looked back at her. "Cool off. There's nothing we can do that will stop them from being perverts. Just deal with it."

She focused her frown on him and nodded. "For now."

The hooded nin looked at Jiraiya. "Well, you said she's some sort of super babe. If she's one of these 'Legendary Three', wouldn't she be about your age?"

The white haired nin nodded. "Yes."

Sakura imagined a very wrinkled woman with very large sagging breasts. "Oh."

Naruto seemed to be of a similar mindset. "Whoa. That would make her...really old."

Jiraiya looked annoyed for a moment and crossed his arms. "Well, she'll probably look like she's in her twenties."

Sakura gave a sigh and nodded. "What kind of person is she anyway? She's one of the 'Legendary Three'. She must be pretty cool." She was looking forward to meeting her.

The man gave a shrug. "Well, she's kind of annoying..."

That was a plus in Sakura's mind. Naruto frowned a bit, but didn't say anything.

Kira seemed to agree with Sakura. "Yeah. She used to pound him all the time. You could hear the cries of pain for miles."

Jiraiya flushed a bit and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Yes. Well, she's a compulsive gambler, and well known in a lot of countries."

Naruto seemed pleased to hear that. "If she's famous, we shouldn't have much trouble finding her."

The man leaned in and grinned. "Yeah. That's right. She's famous all right, she's known as..."

The three teens leaned in a little closer.

"The Legendary Sucker."

Kira's face became angry. "She's what?!"

Naruto, Sakura, and Jiraiya all looked at her at once.

The kitsune started stomping off. "Well, we'd better hurry up and find her then. Oh! Just you wait until I meet her! That...that witch! How dare she! I'll show her! Just you wait! The Legendary Sucker indeed! Ha! Who is that little brat kidding! She's a hundred years too young to beat me!"

The Sennin scratched his head and looked confused. "What's with her?"

Naruto shrugged as they both looked at him. "Hell if I know."

Sakura gave up. "Let's just go already."

Jiraiya shrugged. "Well, it probably won't be that easy to find her. She's a compulsive gambler, and not the type to age gracefully. She'll be using a special jutsu to change her appearance. I've heard she changes her appearance from anything from a ten year old to a thirty year old to get away from her gambling debts. She loves to gamble, but she sucks at it, in both skill and luck."

Sakura flinched. "What? This person...is..."

Naruto seemed annoyed as well. "Are you sure this is the only person who might be able to help with this?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Pretty much."

Kira glowered at them all from a short distance ahead of them. "Well, all we need is something she's touched recently, or someplace she's been, and I'll be able to track her. No problem. There's no way she's getting away from my nose."

Jiraiya frowned. "Don't be so sure. She's a Sannin level nin."

Kira gave a rough snort. "Don't be stupid. I'm a kitsune. No human genjutsu can fool me. That's just silly. I'll find her, no matter what!"

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "What the heck got into her?"

Sakura pushed his shoulder. "Why don't you ask her?"

Jiraiya looked down at her and pulled on the straps of his pack. "You just don't get it. If he's anything like me, he probably doesn't want to know that bad."

Naruto gave a nod. "No way I'm trying to talk to any girl who's acting like that. If I remember after she calms down I'll ask her."

The kunoichi looked annoyed, but didn't feel like asking herself either. So she just kept quiet. "So, we don't know how long this will take?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Don't worry. There's no real hurry. Sarutobi sensei told me the girl is stable, and will remain well enough until we can return. So, we've got all the time we need to find her."

Naruto frowned a bit. "Yeah. Well, we can't take forever either."

Sakura agreed. "He's right. I want to fix this as fast as I can." She looked at the ground. "It's not been too bad, but I can tell it affects me."

Jiraiya nodded. "Well, we'll be spending some time training as well. I've got to teach you a bit of what you'll need to be an effective Jounin. You've got a lot of work to do. We'll let your friend participate as well. It won't hurt any, though, I'm not sure she'll be able to do it herself. It will still help advance her skills even trying. She'll get some of it I'm sure."

Sakura looked annoyed. "Whatever."

Naruto gave her a cheerful look. "Don't worry. I can make more clones, so I'll probably get it faster. So I'll help you out. I'll make sure we both get it, even if I've got to work your butt into the ground!"

The kunoichi looked irate with him. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

They found themselves overlooking a sprawling town in the middle of a festival. People crowded the streets below as the town bustled with activity.

Sakura cheered up. "Wow!"

Naruto gave a nod. "Impressive."

Jiraiya started walking down the road that would lead them into the town. "Come on. We'll start looking for information here. There's no point in training before we get that started."

Kira moved up beside them and stood next to Naruto. "Hey! A party! The local kitsune will be around town. I can ask them about Tsunade."

Jiraiya looked pleased. "Well, that could be useful. We'll stay here until the festival is over. You three can do whatever you like. We'll take a break before training starts. We'll start training here as well."

Naruto seemed pleased. "Yeah. This should be cool. I've never seen anything like this before."

Sakura seemed surprised. "Really? Mom and Dad brought me to a festival like this once. It's been a long time though. I was very young the last time I saw anything like this."

Naruto glanced at her and went quiet. Kira took his arm. "Come on, Boss. We'll have a look around."

The boy cheered up a little more and nodded. "Yeah. Why not? It'll be fun. Sakura and I can make a few clones to have a look about, and maybe find something out about Tsunade while we're enjoying the festival."

The pink haired girl smiled. "Yeah. That's a good idea."

Kira nodded. "Yeah. I'll go off later on, and ask the local foxes about her. I can meet them in the woods after we get a room and get settled in later. There's no hurry if we're staying."

OooOOooOO

Sakura looked at Naruto with wide eyes. She'd pulled out her wallet, and was starting to pay for something to eat, when he reached out and stopped her. "Hey. This is on me this time." He had a very large and fat frog shaped wallet. It was stuffed full. "I'll pay for us for tonight."

The kunoichi flushed as he handed her one of the boxes of rice and sweet meats she'd been buying. He gave one to Kira as well and handed the vendor the money. "Um, thank you."

Kira seemed pleased. "Yeah. Thanks, Boss."

Sakura nodded. "You've been saving? You shouldn't spend it all on us. I've got enough I can..."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I've got a nest egg at home. This is just my first paycheck. I brought it with me. I'm getting Jounin level pay now. I've not gotten any mission bonuses yet, but I get paid pretty well. I can afford to blow a bit on the festival for the three of us. Don't worry about it."

"Kakashi sensei was pretty cheap." Sakura seemed a little annoyed with him.

The boy gave a shrug. "I own my place. I don't shop very often. I do a lot of hunting because it's better for Kitsuma to eat what he would in the wild. The only thing I really buy back home is a bowl of Ramen every now and then. I don't have many bills right now. It's not like I'm buying diapers or baby clothes or anything. I've got it pretty easy considering."

Kira nodded. "Yeah. We help him out feeding the Prince sometimes too."

Sakura nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

Naruto moved through the crowd with the pair. They played a few games, wandered through the booths, and spent a bit on festival food. They all had a wonderful time.

Until they were stopped by a group of four older boys. They focused on Kira, and stood blocking the trio's path. They were all dressed in Hakama, and looked to be about the age the Kitsune appeared.

The one in the lead had a wooden sword on his shoulder and stepped up to her. "Well, hello. I've never seen you around here before."

Sakura frowned at them. "What are you doing?"

Naruto had removed his hood and mask while enjoying the festival, and frowned at the group of boys. "Hey, relax."

The violet haired kitsune frowned at them as well. "Let us pass. I'm not interested."

The lead boy chuckled. "Hey. I'm just askin. My name is Moshino. You're pretty, why don't you come with us? We'll show you around."

Naruto frowned at him. "We'll get by without a guide thanks."

The older boy had spiky brown hair tied back with a bandanna. His lackeys all turned to face the young blond. They chuckled and gave him mean looking smirks. "Are you babysitting or something?" Moshino looked him up and down.

Sakura frowned. "You'd better move."

Naruto glanced at her. "Calm down would you? Nothing wrong with asking for a date. I'm afraid she's not available. We've got other business, and we're not going to be in town long. Sorry."

Kira nodded. "He's right. I'm sorry, but I'm not interested." She looked serious and tried to step around him. His three friends stood in her way.

The leader of the group smiled at her. "Hey. Look, we can show you a real good time. Why don't you ditch these kids, and come with us?"

Sakura looked at the blond boy. "Naruto..."

The boy stepped in between her in front of Moshino. "She's not going anywhere with you alone. Get lost would you?"

The older boy frowned at him. "Who do you think you are? You think just cause some animal scratched you on the face you look tough? You think just because you bought one of those stupid forehead protectors at one of the booths..."

Kira narrowed her eyes at the boy. "That's not fake. If you bother him, he'll hurt you. I'm not watching him, I work for him. He's one of Konoha's Nin, and so is this girl."

Moshino frowned. "What? This little punk..." He tapped the wooden sword against Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto jerked his thumb at the sword hilt over his shoulder. "I'm not impressed. Mine is real. I suggest you guys take off."

"Before we get upset."

The group of boys looked about as more of the blond boy began appearing out of the crowd around them. None of them looked pleased, and there were about seven of him. They didn't look like they were going to attack, but glared at the group in an unpleasant way.

The boys started to back off. "Um, Moshino. I don't think he's kidding." The one on the older boy's left spoke up.

Sakura nodded. "He's not. Get lost would you? We're having a nice time, no point in ruining it now. Just leave."

The boys all moved off into the crowd and left them. The extra Naruto wandered back into the crowd.

Kira smiled at him. "Thanks." None of the girls with the young nin noticed the other four of him in the shadows with blow guns held ready put them away and slip back into the darkness.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. No big deal."

Sakura crossed her arms. "We could have just kicked their butts. Those jerks."

Uzumaki frowned at her. "No point in making a mess when words will do just as well."

OooOOooOO

A short time later, the group was standing in front of a puppet show. They were looking on and enjoying the show at the back of a crowd.

Naruto frowned as he looked over his shoulder. "Trouble on the way."

Kira and Sakura both blinked in surprise and looked at him. "Huh?"

"There! That's him! The jerk who threatened me and my friends!" Moshino's voice called out over the crowd from behind them.

"What? That jerk again?" Sakura looked annoyed.

Naruto turned and found an older man dressed in expensive robes frowning at him. Moshino was standing next to him, and he was flanked by several large men with swords.

The old man had a mustache and a portly figure. He frowned at the trio and walked up with his men surrounding him. "So, you are those bothersome outsiders who have threatened my son?"

Naruto leveled his calm stare at the man. "Who are you? This guy is your son?"

The man nodded. "Yes. I am Yukugo Mokura. The mayor of this town."

The blond nodded at him and put his hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. I'm a Jounin from Konoha. Your son was bothering my friend. I'm afraid we're all here on business. We decided to stop and enjoy the festival for the evening since we're here, but she doesn't have time to go on a date with him."

"What are you doing here?" The man narrowed his eyes at the trio.

The boy stepped forward. The guards put their hands on their swords, but he ignored them. "We're looking for a woman named Tsunade. The Hokage wants to speak with her."

The man frowned and glanced at his son. "I see. This woman is wanted?"

Naruto shook her head. "She's not a criminal. I'm not at liberty to discuss the details. She's got no warrant for her arrest. We do need to speak with her, and we're only here to find her, or a lead to her whereabouts."

The man nodded. "My son claims you threatened him."

"He was asking my friend for a date. I understand and all, but she's not free to play around right now. He shouldn't go waving that stick of his about at people he doesn't know. It will get him hurt." Naruto remained calm, with his two female companions backing him up. "Not every nin would have been kind enough to just warn him off. He got in the way, and wouldn't let us pass so he could badger her. He's just lucky we weren't doing anything urgent at the time."

Sakura looked edgy, Kira was almost hiding behind his back.

Yukugo nodded. "I see. I apologize for the inconvenience. I have no information on this Tsunade, but I wish you luck." He turned and grabbed his son by the ear. His bodyguards followed after him. "You idiot! You're lucky you're not dead!"

The older boy looked surprised and got a bit wide eyed. "What? Daddy! You can't be serious! That punk isn't really a..."

The old man twisted the boy's ear. "That's a very real Nin boy. He's a Jounin level, and he could have killed you before you even realized you were dead! I've hired Konoha's services before and I recognize his uniform. You're lucky he didn't just kill you. Idiot! You're grounded, you can forget about the festival!"

"Ouch! Daddy!" Moshino whined in pain in a pathetic manner.

Naruto smirked at the scene and crossed his arms. Sakura was smiling at it with Kira as well. They watched the boy get dragged away and berated by his father.

Kira gave a small sigh. "Well, that was pointless."

Sakura giggled a little and looked at the pair. "We should find that pervert. It's getting late."

Naruto shrugged. "I suppose. I know where he is."

OooOOooOO

Jiraiya was sitting between two busty women, drinking Sake and had the remains of a meal spread out before him. "Bwahahahahahahaaa! What a nice couple of ladies you are!"

Sakura had a vein pulsing from her forehead. "What the?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well. What did you expect him to be doing?"

Kira nodded. "He's right you know."

The pink haired kunoichi growled. "He's supposed to be looking for information isn't he?"

Uzumaki nodded. "Well yeah. Bars and such are great places for that sort of thing."

The two women sitting with him were giggling and looked rather vacuous. Sakura clenched her fist. "I doubt either of those two knows anything at all." They looked like they might be sharing a brain cell.

Kira giggled. "That looks fun! Boss! I'll feed you like that!"

He looked annoyed. "My hands work fine."

She smiled at him. "I've had years of practice! Mine are better! I promise!"

Sakura's jaw dropped. "What? What are you talking about?"

Kira looked up at the ceiling. "Um, nothing. Really."

Jiraiya seemed to notice them. "Ah. Naruto. How did it go at the festival? Did you enjoy it?"

The boy nodded. "It was nice. I ran into the Mayor, but he doesn't know anything about Tsunade."

Sakura gave a snort. "His son was a jerk."

The white haired nin nodded. "Nothing here either. I decided to relax a bit."

The blond nodded. "I noticed." Kira was hanging off his back as the two women looked at the trio of young teens.

Sakura fumed. "You pervert. You just did that to get rid of us!"

Naruto and Kira glanced at her. "So?"

The pink haired kunoichi glowered at them. "What?"

Uzumaki gave a snort. "Would you rather have hung around to watch this?"

She seemed to think on it for a moment and sighed. "I guess you have a point. Still..."

A man with slicked back black hair walked up and grabbed Kira around her waist. A bald man with a grin on his face walked beside him as they entered the establishment. "Hey. Get us a table would you?" He called to one of the waitresses as he pulled the violet haired girl away from the trio.

Naruto looked annoyed. "Not again..."

Sakura growled. "What?"

Kira tried to pull away from his arm. "Um, I don't work here."

The man grinned at her. "So?"

The balding man spoke up. "Shut up, bitch. You're lucky Mr. Akoki would bother to honor you with his time. So keep your mouth shut and behave and maybe you'll enjoy it!"

Naruto stepped in front of them. He narrowed his eyes at the pair and put his hand in the dark haired man's belly to stop him. "Let her go. She's with us."

Akoki frowned. "Did you just touch me?"

Kira pulled away from him and moved behind Naruto. "What is it with this place, Boss?"

The bald man frowned and slapped the young blond's arm away before grabbing his shirt. "You punk! How dare you touch Mr. Akoki!? You're lucky to be alive! He's a former Chunin from the Stone village! He's a legendary Yammi nin and someone to be afraid of. An incredibly skilled nin!"

Naruto gave a snort. He was wearing his Jounin uniform, and the man was an idiot. "If that was true, he'd know better than to let his friend put his hands on a Jounin of the Leaf."

The bald man fell to his knees in front of the boy after a punch he didn't even see slammed into his gut. "Wh-what?"

The dark haired man growled. "You punk. I'll..." He started to charge.

Jiraiya was in front of him as Naruto crouched and put his hand over his shoulder to grip his sword. "That's no way to treat a lady." He raised his palm as the man staggered in surprise and looked angry at him.

"What? Who do you think you are? I'll show you what pain is!"

Jiraiya gave a smirk as the man charged at him. The bald man staggered to his feet behind Akoki and growled as he glared at the boy. "Naruto, Sakura, pay close attention. I'll show you the jutsu I'll be teaching you both."

The two teens looked on as a swirling power formed in the man's hand. Jiraiya shoved the energy filled palm into Akoki's chest, and he flew back out the doors, taking his bald friend with him after flying back into him. They landed outside, crushing a water balloon booth in their wake as they spun and flew away into it.

Naruto arched his eyebrows. "That was pretty cool."

Sakura was a bit wide eyed. "Wow."

Jiraiya had the man's wallet in his grip, and caught one of the water balloons that flew away from the broken stand. He walked out the doors toward the frightened vendor while removing the money from the wallet. "This is a victory fee I'll be taking." He looked at the vendor as he cowered away. "Sorry about your stand."

Akoki was lying on top of his bald friend. "What did you do to me?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "I just saved your life. That boy wasn't lying, he really is one of Konoha's Jounin you know. He almost cut you in half, idiot. You're weak." He turned to the vendor and handed him the money. "Here. For the damaged cart and for all the water balloons."

The man looked nervous. "I...I don't really mind." Jiraiya shoved the money into his hand anyway and looked at the two surprised nin.

"Naruto, Sakura, let's go. It's time for training."

Kira was grinning from behind them. "Yay! That was cool Mr. Pervert!"

The white haired nin gave a heavy sigh. "My name is Jiraiya."

OooOOooOO

Sakura looked at the water balloon in her hand. "So, we've got to spin the water inside the balloon until it breaks?"

Naruto scratched his head. He was wearing his hood and mask again, and they were outside the village. "That doesn't sound too hard."

Jiraiya nodded. "That's right." There was a large bag of water filled balloons next to him. "This is only the first step. It's the easiest part to learn."

The pink haired kunoichi nodded. "Well, I guess we should make clones and get started then?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I guess I can do about ten for this."

Sakura nodded. "I'll just do one, as usual." She seemed a bit annoyed with him, but not too much.

The white haired nin smiled. "Yes. If you run out of balloons, you'll have to buy more on your own I'm afraid. I'll leave you two to this. I'm going back into town to see what I can find out."

Kira smiled at the pair. She was sitting nearby on a rock. "Yeah. I'll go ask the local foxes if they've heard anything about this."

Naruto nodded at them. "We'll stay here, and train until dark."

Sakura gave a small sigh. "Well, I guess we should get started then. It will probably take a while before we can do what he did." She was focused on her balloon and stared at it. "I can tell this isn't going to be all that easy already. I can do it though!"

Naruto gave a cheerful nod. "We'll get it."

The two nin started to work as Jiraiya and Kira wandered off in different directions.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: The Challenge for the Title.


	25. Chapter 25

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 25

The Challenge.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting on a log looking up at the night sky with Jiraiya. He looked tired, worn, but not sleepy as they both looked up at the sky. The group had left Konoha a little more than two weeks before. They'd left the town with the festival, and the two young nin had already started on 'stage two' of the technique.

Sakura and Kira were lying under sheets nearby around a dying campfire. They were about two days away from the next town and had stopped to camp for the night. Kira had been staying in the same room as Sakura over the course of their journey, and Naruto had been rooming with Jiraiya. The training had left both of the young Nin drained and worn out every night since they'd started. Both of them trained for four or five hours, took some time to rest and recover, and repeated until they went to sleep. They'd been able to train while traveling with no difficulty, though it slowed their pace a little.

The Sennin smiled as he looked up at the stars. "You know. I've not traveled with this many people in many years. It brings back memories."

The boy nodded and gave a smirk towards the two girls. "It's been different than traveling with Kakashi sensei and Sasuke."

The white haired nin chuckled at that. "I imagine it would be." He stretched his arms. "You know. I almost didn't teach you that technique this time. If it wasn't for Akatsuki, I wouldn't have."

Naruto glanced at him. "Huh? Why not?"

The white haired man put his hands behind his head and chuckled. "Well. To be honest, I had intended to only show you this technique. It was one of your father's. He created it. I wasn't planning on teaching that girl how to do it." He shook Naruto by his shoulder. "Then you insisted that I teach her. I almost went with something else."

The boy nodded and hung his head a little. "I see."

Jiraiya put his hands on his knees and seemed a little surprised. "You're not going to ask why I did anyway?"

The blond gave a small grin. "I would have showed her anyway. Right?"

The man shook his head. "I thought so. Would you have?"

Naruto nodded and gave a half cocked smirk at the dirt. "Yeah. I'm learning a lot. I think this trip has done both of us a lot of good." He looked at his palm, and the small mark in the center of it.

The man arched his eyebrow. "But?"

"It glows, and it's kind of loud. It doesn't really suit my style. I'm not so sure I'll ever need to use it myself, but I will if I think I need it." He glanced at his teacher. "I'm glad you're teaching it to me. I'm sure I'll find it useful somehow or another. I'd rather my whole team was strong. Not just me. Sasuke has Chidori, and now Sakura I and will have this. I've learned a lot about chakra manipulation."

Jiraiya seemed amused by the answer. "Well. You never know."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Who knows? Maybe I will use it someday? It's a tool, like any other technique. If I think it will be useful, I won't hesitate to use it."

The white haired man looked up at the sky again. "You know. You look like your father, but you remind me more of your mother."

The boy's head turned towards him. "Huh?"

The Sennin didn't look at him. "He always had a stupid grin on his face. He was pretty loud at your age. Always going on about how he was going to be Hokage someday. He was always cheerful."

Naruto nodded and poked at the dirt with a stick he'd picked up. "I don't really know anything about him other than what we learned about him at the academy. He's my father, and I don't know any more about him than any other nin."

Jiraiya nodded. "Well, your mother was a beautiful woman. She smiled a lot as well, she talked a lot more than you, a very bright person, and a bit of a tomboy. She had a sense of humor of course, but it was more subdued. I used to think she was the only person who could get him to take anything seriously. He was a good man, and a fine student."

The young nin was looking up at the stars. "I'm not so sure I care much for him. He stuck that thing inside me. I guess, I'm not really angry though. I'm not sure what I'd say if I saw him again."

Jiraiya frowned. "You're not as unlucky as you think. He did what he had to do."

The boy nodded. "I know, for Konohagakure. I can't really hate him for it, but...I'm not so sure I wouldn't punch him in the face for it if I saw him again either."

The white haired Sennin nodded and seemed somber. "I guess I can understand that."

Naruto gave a snort and got a small grin on his face. "Wonder what he'd make of his grandson?"

Jiraiya cocked his head. "Well...I'm not sure. I think he'd be more worried about your wife. I wonder what your mother would think?"

The boy settled back and looked skyward again. "I guess it doesn't matter. I'm...not so sure of what I make of all that myself. Kitsuma is more like a pet than a baby. It's weird."

The man frowned. "That will change soon enough you know. You shouldn't think that way."

Naruto nodded. "I know. I can't help it though. He's...my son, but...I've got to keep a litter box and feed and water him like a dog or something. I suppose I've got it easy. Still..."

The Sennin slapped his shoulder. "Well. You'll get used to it. He'll be able to take human form soon, and he'll start talking."

The young nin seemed to relax a little more. "Yeah. I used to dream about being Hokage myself. I was a pretty loud and obnoxious kid when I was younger." He grinned a bit. "Hope he's not too much trouble. I was quite a handful."

Jiraiya chuckled at that. "What happened?"

The young Uzumaki balled up his fist and held it up to look at it. "I learned that just being the best Ninja I can be is hard enough. Worrying about things like Hokage is just a distraction. Dreams, goals, and ambitions are for normal people. My duty is enough for me."

The Sennin chuckled. "I used to think I might like being Hokage when I was younger myself. I realized I'd hate it though. It's not in me."

Naruto grinned and nodded. "Makes it hard to be a pervert, huh?"

Jiraiya ruffled his hair. "Boy does it ever. There's a whole world of women, Konoha just isn't enough for me."

The boy didn't mind much and shook his head as he stood up. "Well, I guess I should get some sleep then."

The man stretched his arms. "I'm not far off myself."

OooOOooOO

Three days later...

Sakura was on her back. Her hand was shaking as she stared at the mark on her hand by holding it over her face. "My arm hurts."

Naruto was sitting next to her, looking worn out and tired as well. "Yup." He was cradling his own hand and shook it off. "Feels a little numb."

The girl frowned. "I think I'm gonna blow up my hand."

Her companion nodded. "I doubt it. Still, doesn't feel any better."

Haruno grunted and relaxed again, flopping her arm onto the ground. "I'm just gonna lie here for a while."

Uzumaki gave an amused snort. "Yeah. I don't think I can stand up again for a minute. My chakra is gone."

"This is only the second step." Sakura seemed annoyed.

Naruto glanced at her. "We'll live."

The girl frowned at him and nodded. "Yeah." They had several popped rubber balls scattered around them on the ground. "We're running out of balls."

A few leaves fell from the tree above them. They floated to the ground, and one of them landed on the pink haired kunoichi's forehead.

Naruto looked at her and smirked as he noticed it. "You know. This is just like what Iruka sensei told us."

She blinked and turned to look at him. "Huh?" She brushed the leaf off and Naruto picked it up to show her. "Remember, about the Leaf's symbol?" He put it against his forehead protector over the symbol.

The girl nodded. "Yeah. I remember. The First Hokage used to put one on his forehead and concentrate his chakra into it to meditate." She seemed to cheer up a little.

The hooded nin closed his eyes and seemed to think for a moment. He opened them again and licked his finger and rubbed at the mark on his hand.

"What are you doing?" Sakura frowned and looked at his palm. He'd made the mark into the same one on their uniforms. "Cute. What good does it do you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I used to try that myself you know. Back when I was at the academy. I could never get Bunshin no Jutsu to work. I tried everything I could think of. I remember reading about it after Iruka sensei told us. It didn't help much then." He lowered his head as he concentrated as he held one of the training balls.

Sakura seemed confused. "Huh? Then why...?"

Naruto pointed his hands at the ground as the energy within his ball formed and pointed it down at the ground. The energy kicked up a lot of dust and carved several gouges into the dirt as it ripped the ball to shreds. He gasped for breath and stood up. "Second stage...complete."

The pink haired kunoichi frowned as she looked at it. "Hey. You did it." She sat up and picked up one of the leaves to look at it. "Like Iruka sensei said?"

He glanced at her. "Come on. You can do this. Just give it a try again."

She seemed a little annoyed and nodded. "I can barely move. Still, I guess I could try again." She put the leaf in her palm and closed her eyes. A moment later, she was on her back again. "After I get a bit more rest."

Naruto gave a nod and stood up. He took a few steps and performed the technique again. After that, he walked over to the tree trunk and sat down against it. "Ouch." He slumped down against the trunk a little more and passed out.

Sakura turned her head to look at him from her place on the ground. His palm was up, and the skin on his hand was burned a little. "He, burned his hand?" There was a distinctive pattern to the burns, and they focused on the center around the mark in his palm. The marks were wider around the edge of his palm, but grew thinner towards the mark in the center.

The kunoichi sat up and frowned as she looked at her own mark again. "It looks like..." She balled up her hand and closed her eyes. "I can do this!" She opened her hand one more time and licked her finger, changing the mark in her own palm to match what he'd done. "If it worked for him..." She picked up one of the unbroken balls from the ground and glared at it.

She could feel the energy building up inside the ball. "Don't lose it...keep..." The image of a leaf formed in her mind, and the energy swirled around it in her vision. "Focus..." Sakura could see it focusing, swirling towards it rather than around it. "I can do this..." She opened her eyes and her hand exploded with power. The energy whirled around her hand in a wild manner jolting her arm and palm as the ball ripped itself apart from the inside.

Sakura grinned as she fell on her back again. "Hey. I did it!" The world went dark as she passed out as well.

Jiraiya walked onto the scene a few minutes later. He smirked as he saw them both passed out. His grin faded a little as he noticed Naruto's hand. "Well, he focused his chakra so much he burned his own..." He glanced at the pink haired kunoichi and cocked his head.

Her hand was pink, not burned, but scalded a little. The pattern of the marks was the same as on his hand and there were little broken pieces of one of the balls around her. "I see. So, both of them? I never expected that." He was expecting Naruto to reach the third stage before they returned to Konoha. He didn't think Sakura would ever make it past the second stage before they returned. He was thinking she'd end up stuck there, and give up once they got back. "This girl too? That's something else." He looked over at Naruto. "I guess you were right then."

Naruto was looking at him. He looked worn out. "Yeah. I told ya. Now we can both start stage three."

Jiraiya nodded. "Right. We'll find Tsunade now. I'll explain the third stage on the way." He turned away and seemed thoughtful. "Hey. What is it you're doing with those clones you've been making?"

Naruto looked a bit surprised. "Huh?"

The Sennin glanced over his shoulder. "I ran across them the other day. I expected you to give up on making them for this. You both learned stage one much faster because of them. This stage requires so much chakra I expected you to stop using them. You've been making them anyway, but they aren't doing this training." He turned to face the boy again. "I'm curious, what are you doing with them? They were both just sitting there, looked like meditation of some sort."

Naruto stood up and almost fell over. He leaned against the tree. "That's what it was." He grinned at the man. "What I'm teaching her there, doesn't use any chakra at all."

Jiraiya cocked his head. "What sort of..." His eyes went a little wide as he looked at the hooded nin. "I see. So, you're showing her that too, are you?"

Naruto gave a nod. He didn't say anything.

The man frowned at him. "You shouldn't give all your secrets away you know. You might regret it one day."

The boy managed to balance himself enough to stand upright without support. "I got plenty of secrets."

OooOOooOO

The group was looking out over the town that was built inside what looked like a crater as they left it.

Naruto looked annoyed. "You know, it's been bugging me since we got here. What kind of idiot would build something into the low ground like this? All I'd need is maybe a dozen archers to take this place over. It's completely undefendable."

Sakura seemed surprised. "Huh? Now that you mention it yeah. Still, we're in the middle of Fire Country. It's pretty safe here anyway. I guess they can get away with it."

Jiraiya seemed to be very into things that day as he pointed into the distance. "Come on! Let's go!"

Kira was standing beside Naruto. "We'll find her for sure, Boss. I won't let her escape!"

The hooded nin hung his head. "I guess. What about this third stage?"

Sakura seemed interested as well. "Yeah! What's it about?"

Jiraiya grinned at them. "Well, we can do that training even while walking." He blew up two balloons and tossed them to the young nin. "Here."

They both caught them and looked at them in confusion. "Huh?"

Jiraiya began to explain the third stage. He told them about the technique, explaining that the third stage was the same as stage two, but they had to do it inside the balloon without breaking it.

OooOOooOO

Meanwhile, a short distance away, two shadow clones were sitting across from each other on the ground.

Naruto glanced at Sakura. "Well, we've got to start stage two of our training now."

Sakura seemed surprised. "Huh? Stage two?"

The male clone seemed cheerful. "Yup. This is the hardest part."

"What are we going to do then?" The girl seemed to become serious.

"Follow the others."

"Without being seen?" Sakura seemed to think on it.

Naruto just shook his head. "Nope. We're not hiding, we don't have to keep up with them, we're just going to walk. We don't actually need to follow them, but we're going to walk, all day."

The girl seemed annoyed. "Huh? Walk? Are you serious?"

The hooded nin chuckled. "Yup. I figure we'll follow after them, just to have a direction to go. We don't need to keep up or anything."

The girl seemed confused. "What good will that do us? I mean, we've just been sitting here meditating since we started stage two of that perverted Sennin's training."

Naruto stood up and dusted off his knees. "Yup." He crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby tree. "You go ahead and stand up. I'll wait here for you."

The girl looked irate. "What are you talking about?" She pushed on her knee with her hand and tried to push off the ground. Her eyes went a little wide as she looked at her legs. "Huh?" She'd not budged. "Hey."

Her instructor looked amused. "Don't take too long now. I'd rather make a little progress towards catching up to them today. Though, I really don't expect to."

Sakura struggled a bit, ended up flat on her back, and couldn't even manage to sit up. "What the? Are you kidding?"

Uzumaki seemed to be enjoying the scene. "Nope. No cheating now. I'll notice if you do, and you've got to start over."

The girl's brow furrowed. "You could have said something about this." She'd managed to roll over on her belly, and her efforts to push herself up with her arms were both pathetic, and thus far useless.

"It wouldn't be as funny if I had. Come on now, all you've got to do is stand up. Then we can try walking. I'm really looking forward to it." Naruto looked quite pleased.

"Asshole!" The girl was getting a bit angry.

"Don't be like that. Think how much fun we'll have when Sasuke does this! If you're good, I'll let you watch!" He seemed even more amused at the mere thought.

Sakura almost protested. That was when it hit her. "No way!" She was looking at Naruto with wide eyes.

The boy squat down in front of her and nodded. "Yup. I'm like that all the time."

OooOOooOO

Seven hours later...

Naruto was looking on at the edge of the woods they'd been in. He was enjoying himself and leaning against the last tree on the path. "Well, we've almost made it!"

Sakura was staggering, it was a bit like watching a baby learn to walk. She was waving her arms about to keep her balance. Her legs were lifting off the ground and she looked like she was stomping in wide steps. She wavered and leaned before managing to pull herself upright. The girl was covered in sweat, and gasping for breath. Just as it seemed she managed to catch her balance and stand upright, she fell face forward into the dirt again. "Ouch."

Her instructor chuckled. "Well, now you've got to stand up again. Try not to lean forward or back until you get the hang of it."

Sakura frowned at him. "Can't you help me up?"

He shook his head. "Nope. You've got to learn to do this on your own."

Her brow furrowed in annoyance. "Jerk." She struggled on the ground again, taking almost two minutes just to push herself to her hands and knees. Only to have her arms give out and end up face first in the dirt with her rear in the air.

OooOOooOO

"Tanzaku City." Kira smirked as she balled up her fist. "We've arrived." She seemed to calm down to her usual self again and looked back at her companions. They'd been traveling for several days to reach it.

Jiraiya nodded. "This is the place then?"

Naruto and Sakura both looked a little worn, and each was holding a balloon. They looked on over the city and glanced at each other. Sakura spoke up. "We're sure she's here?"

The Sennin shrugged. "I don't know."

Kira didn't seem sure herself. "Well, according to what I've heard from the other Foxes, this is the last place she was seen. No one had heard anything about her leaving yet either." The fox girl seemed to get annoyed. "I'm pretty sure she's here. I'll find her, don't worry."

Naruto nodded. "Right. Well, we should start looking then."

OooOOooOO

The streets of the city were bustling and busy. The group had spent about two hours walking through it. Both the young children were a bit in awe of the size of the place. It was larger than Konoha, as the name Tanzaku City implied.

"Wow. Big place." Naruto seemed impressed.

"How are we supposed to find someone in all of this?" Sakura gave a sigh and hung her head.

"Don't doubt my nose." Kira smiled at her and touched her nose as she winked at her.

Jiraiya nodded. "Right." He seemed to freeze.

In front of them, two women were walking along. "I told you! How are we supposed to pay for our room now?" The younger of the pair was holding a pig in her arms. She looked irate and worried. She had short cut black hair. "Now we've got nothing, and we can't even buy a meal! Again! Why do you do this?"

The woman with her had long blond hair, a massive pair of breasts, and appeared to be only a year or two older than her companion. "Don't worry so much, Shizune. We'll be fine." She had a long coat on her shoulders with the symbol for the word 'gamble' on her back, and a diamond shaped mark in the center of her forehead.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya's face lit up and a grin formed on his face.

The two women seemed to freeze up and panic for a moment. They both calmed visibly as they noticed the white haired Sennin in front of them. The blond spoke up. "J-Jiraiya?"

Shizune flushed. "Great. How embarrassing."

Tsunade leaned in. "Shut up! He's the perfect sucker...er...solution to our problem." She seemed cheerful and turned towards the man. "Jiraiya! What are you doing here?" She seemed to realize he had two children with Konoha forehead protectors flanking him. "Who are these two children?" There was a girl with violet hair behind them, but she didn't look to be with them at first glance.

Sakura got annoyed. "Children?"

"So, this is the 'Legendary Sucker'?" Naruto looked up at Jiraiya and jerked his thumb at her.

"No way!" Kira frowned at him as she grabbed his arm.

Tsunade seemed to freeze in place. "Erk. What?" She looked at the boy and what now seemed to be his girlfriend with a little anger.

Jiraiya looked a bit nervous. "Ignore them. How have you been? It's been ages!"

The woman's attention shifted and she seemed to forget about the young boy's comment. "I'm fine."

Shizune turned her head away and grumbled under her breath. "Don't you mean broke?"

Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at their companions at the same time and leaned in to say the same thing. "Look. Shut the hell up about that!"

The Sennin looked at his old friend and chuckled. "Hey. I'll buy you dinner."

The woman frowned at him. "Why are you here anyway?"

He scratched at his head. "Konoha has a request for you. I told them I'd find you and speak to you about it. Sarutobi sensei sent me to find you."

The Sannin woman blinked in surprise. "Sarutobi sensei?" She noticed the violet haired girl giving her an angry looking frown. "What's this about?"

Jiraiya gave a sigh and motioned for her to follow. "Come on. I'll explain it over dinner. I'm hungry anyway."

OooOOooOO

The group ended up in a booth in a nearby restaurant. It was a large round table, and they all sat together.

They had all ordered, and the meal was partially eaten in front of them. Tsunade spoke up. "Now. What's this about?"

The annoyed looking girl with purple hair spoke up. "Wait! I challenge you!"

Jiraiya got wide eyed. "Huh?"

Naruto and Sakura looked just as annoyed.

Tsunade and Shizune both looked at the girl in confusion. The blond woman stood up and smirked at her as she crossed her arms. "A challenge?"

Kira nodded with her eyes firm as she slapped the table. "That's right! You witch! How dare you! I challenge you for the title of 'The Legendary Sucker'!"

Everyone at the table just looked at her with their jaw hanging.

Naruto managed to speak up first. "Huh?"

Tsunade was just wide eyed and her arms fell to her side. "What?"

Kira looked very serious. "I am the 'Legendary Sucker'! I've won the title fair and square every ten years for the last hundred years! Who do you think you are? I challenge you to a contest!"

Jiraiya's face lit up. "Oh! What a wonderful idea!"

Naruto looked confused. "What the hell?"

Sakura didn't look any better off. "Why would you want that title?"

Tsunade and Shizune had both gone a little pale. The blond woman gave a small cough. "You...want that title?"

The violet haired girl growled and nodded. "Damn right! I won it fair and square! We'll have a contest! The Boss can judge!" She jabbed her finger at Naruto.

Jiraiya spoke up. "Wait! We'll need more than one judge! Just to be certain that it's impartial! I, Jiraiya, would be glad to offer my assistance!"

The violet haired girl nodded. "Whatever. There's no way I'm giving it up to this tramp! It's mine!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Now look here you little..."

Kira crossed her arms and turned up her nose. "If you can defeat me, I'll even give up the trophy!" She reached into her robes, and pulled out a five foot trophy that she then slammed onto the table.

Tsunade looked at it with wide eyes. It was huge, with a golden cup at the top, with a small statue on top of it. At the bottom, the name 'Kira Kitsune' was engraved over the words 'The Legendary Sucker'. The woman went a little pale as she realized just what the statue at the top of the trophy was of.

Sakura looked at the engraving. "What is this?"

Naruto tapped her shoulder. He was turning a little red as she looked at him. His eyes were shifted away as he jerked his thumb up towards the top of the trophy. The kunoichi covered her mouth as she looked up at it and gasped. On top of the trophy was a statue of a man and a woman. The man was standing with his fists balled up on his hips with a huge grin on his face, and the woman was on her knees in front of him with her face in his crotch. "Oh."

Jiraiya looked quite serious as he stood up and took Tsunade by her shoulder. "You should defend your honor! You cannot allow such a challenge to go unanswered! Naruto and I will be glad to help you with this contest! Won't we Naruto!?" He gave him a look that promised pain if he refused.

The boy made a choking sound in response to that. He sank into his seat a little more and turned a little more red.

Shizune had much the same expression. "Well, um..."

Tsunade growled as she glared at her. "Shut the hell up!" She turned towards the girl who had challenged her. "Look. Where the hell do you get off calling me a 'Tramp' you little harlot?"

Kira interrupted. "Ha! I'm a bigger tramp than you'll ever be! Don't go saying that you're better! You're a hundred years too young to defeat me!"

The blond woman got wide eyed. "T-too young?" She flushed, it was hard to be angry with the girl, but she couldn't just forgive her either.

Jiraiya looked very eager. "It's a serious challenge. You shouldn't ignore it."

Kira balled up her fists. "I shall defend my title, my honor!"

The commotion had gotten the attention of a great deal of the people gathered in the restaurant. Many of the men were up from their seats and had started to linger nearby.

"A worthy challenge!"

"Let us know if we can be of any help!"

"Right, you need more than two to judge such a contest!"

Shizune was very red. She took the violet haired girl by her shoulder and leaned in to whisper something into her ear.

Kira's face fell. "Huh?" She got a rather blank expression on her face and looked at the dark haired woman. "Really?"

The Sannin woman's companion gave a nod and looked away. There was a crashing noise nearby, and the ground shook for a moment.

The violet haired girl looked at the blond woman's frown. "So...it's about...gambling?"

Tsunade turned a bit pink. "What kind of girl are you?" Jiraiya was already on the ground with several large lumps on the back of his head in a small crater.

Kira cocked her head. "A total slut." She seemed to think on it. "I suppose I can forgive you then. Just watch it." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms as she sat down.

Naruto looked a bit horrified. "You won a contest?"

The violet haired girl nodded. "Yes. It's held during the great kitsune festival every ten years in Shadow Realm. Winning is a great honor! Koruma and Masara won second and third place last time."

The boy had gone a little pale. "What?"

Jiraiya had managed to crawl back into the booth. Sakura looked both disgusted and annoyed. Shizune was holding her face, being grateful no one died.

Tsunade took her seat again as well. "Shadow Realm? You're a kitsune then?" She seemed to relax a little. It made a bit more sense at that point and she seemed to forget about it.

The violet haired girl nodded. "That's right. That title is mine." She seemed a bit miffed still. "I suppose I can overlook it, seeing as it's not the same thing, I guess." She cocked her head. "Kind of a shame though. I could use a little decent competition." It would have been good for 'the Boss' if she'd found such a person to challenge. At the very least, it would have made getting started with his training easier. She was a little disappointed to be honest.

Naruto had shifted away from her a little. "Are you kidding?"

The kitsune girl grinned at him and gave him a dangerous look. "No. Why do you think I was selected to train you? You'll need it."

The boy was confused. "What? Train me? What do you mean? What's that got to do with it?"

Sakura had gone a little pale and was looking at her with a slacked jaw. "Wait, you mean...?"

The kitsune shrugged and nodded at her with a subdued grin as she leaned in to whisper to the girl. "Yeah. Pretty much. He's got to know what he's doing, or the Queen will...um...be a bit much."

Sakura's face fell as she pointed at her plate. "Don't tell me gross things like that. I'm eating."

Tsunade coughed. "Forget about that. What are you doing here?"

Jiraiya gave a heavy sigh. "It was worth a shot."

Shizune seemed to calm a little more. "Please don't tell me this is why..."

Sakura shook her head. "No. That's not it at all!"

Naruto nodded and seemed very glad the moment had passed. He still wasn't sure what was going on. He didn't think he wanted to know. "No. Konoha needs someone with your skill."

Jiraiya nodded. "That's right. There's been an unusual injury. No one in Konoha can deal with it. Someone with your level of mastery is needed."

Tsunade looked at her plate and frowned. "An injury?" She gripped the edge of the table.

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. It's difficult to explain. This girl is here to help explain it."

Sakura nodded. "It involves the Shin Ten Shin, and a Shadow Clone. It happened during the Chunin exams. She possessed a Clone that I made, and when it was broken, something happened to her body. Now her mind is stuck inside my head, and her body isn't stable enough to hold it. Please, we need you. I've heard you're the only one who can help." She looked up at her with pleading eyes.

Shizune gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "What?"

Tsunade frowned at the girl. "No. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

Jiraiya gave a heavy sigh. "There's no one else who can."

She growled at him. "Well, neither can I!"

The two young nin looked at her with wide eyes. Naruto hung his head. "Damn."

"Why not!?" Sakura stood up and slammed her palms on the table top.

Tsunade frowned at her. "You don't need to know why not. I'm not a medical nin any longer. I gave up that life."

The pink haired kunoichi frowned back and looked her in her eyes. "You swore an oath!"

The woman turned her head away. "So what? It doesn't mean anything to me anymore."

"So, you're telling me that you can help, but you don't want to?" Sakura was getting upset.

Kira gave a nod. "Yes. I know that's true. Your skills as a medical nin are legendary, very well known."

Tusnade stood up. "What does it matter? You knew the dangers of taking that exam, but chose to do it anyway. Now, you should just live with it."

The pink haired kunoichi growled in anger. "I'm not giving up! I won't abandon her!"

The blond woman gave a snort. "So what? Don't act like you're doing this for someone else. You're doing this for you. Do you think I'm foolish?"

The pink haired girl gasped and hung her head as a few tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm doing this for both of us. Ino was my friend, and I treated her horribly before this happened. I don't care what I have to do. I can't let it end this way if there's anything I can do to prevent it!"

Tsunade turned away. "You're not the only one who has to live with guilt. Shizune..."

Her companion hung her head and looked over at the girl. "I'm sorry."

Jiraiya had remained calm through all of it. "That's not all, Tsunade."

The blond woman growled and looked at him with a little rage in her eyes.

The man didn't look at her and spoke. "The Third has issued a request, for you to become the Fifth Hokage."

Naruto and Sakura both looked at the man with wide eyes.

The pink haired girl looked shocked. "What? This selfish bitch?"

"Her? Hokage?" Naruto seemed confused.

Jiraiya gave a nod. "She's the granddaughter of the First. She's a top rated ninja, and no one else would do for the job. She was the one who brought us victory in battle, no one has been able to acquire her techniques. It was decided by Sarutobi that she was the best person for the job. Neither of you has any say in the matter."

"I thought we came here to get her to help with Ino?" Sakura looked a little hurt.

"If she becomes the Fifth, she'll have to return to Konoha, and she can look after your friend. Don't worry so much." The man turned his attention towards Tsunade again. "So? What's your answer?"

She'd taken a seat again and poured herself some more sake. She gulped down a few shots and gasped. "Impossible. I decline."

Naruto had his arms crossed. "Well, if you can't help us, do you know anyone who can? Someone who might be more willing?"

She frowned at him. "No. I don't."

The boy gave a heavy sigh. "Then, I'm afraid we've got no choice but to keep bothering you until you say yes. I'm not willing to give up this easily."

Sakura gave a firm nod. "That's right. I'd rather die than give up on Ino!"

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. "Who is this brat? She's worse than your last student."

Jiraiya scratched his head. "Her name is Haruno Sakura. I wouldn't really call her a student. I've been training with her a bit, it's true. She's a smart girl though, full of spirit." He smiled at her and jerked his thumb at Naruto. "He's the student, she's a friend of his, and they're quite a pair."

The boy just looked at her and said nothing.

Sakura seemed annoyed with him. "Don't make it sound like we're dating!"

Kira grabbed his arm. "Yeah. I'm his slut, not her."

The boy's head hit the table top. "Please, stop telling people that."

Tsunade gave a snort. "Well, he's nothing to your last student, in looks and intelligence."

Kira seemed confused. "What? He looks just like him, he's smarter too."

The woman gave a snort. "Don't be stupid, what would you know?"

The violet haired girl shrugged. "I remember him. I'm older than you, and I know how old you really are." She added the last part when Tsunade started to speak. The woman went quiet. "I'm more than two hundred years old, and I've lived around Konohagakure for most of it. He looks just like the Fourth, and he's smarter than he ever was!"

Tsunade frowned at her. "Then let him be Hokage. The Fourth died quickly, and gave up his life for Konoha. Life isn't like money, it shouldn't be gambled that easily. Whoever puts it at risk so easily is a fool."

Sakura snorted. "The Third is still here. He's older than you."

The woman frowned at her. "That doesn't mean anything. He just had more luck than the others. Someday, he'll die just like them. Being Hokage is a shitty job. Only a fool would take it."

The pink haired girl growled. "Everybody dies. It's how we live that's important! Someone who only lives for their self isn't worthy of even being a ninja, much less Hokage!"

Naruto gave a nod. "She's right you know."

"You're just a selfish brat." Tsunade leaned in to Sakura. "You only care about solving this problem because it effects you. Do you expect me to think you'd be here if it didn't?"

"Who are you to tell me about not caring about others?" The girl slammed her palms on the table and glared her in the eyes. "If I have to give up my life to save Ino, I will! I don't care what it takes! I'll go around the world as many times as I need to! I'll follow you into hell itself and drag you back to do it!"

Shizune looked a bit worried. "Please, calm down!" She grabbed Tsunade's arm.

The blond woman reared her head back and laughed. "You? Drag me back? Ha!"

"You selfish old hag!" Sakura tried to jump across the table. "Going on like you've got anything to care about! I'll kick your ass!"

"Oh boy." Naruto shook his head as Jiraiya grabbed the back of her shirt.

Tsunade stood up and put her foot on the table. "You've got some guts saying something like that to me! Lets take this outside then."

OooOOooOO

Kira looked at Naruto. "This is a bad idea."

The hooded nin nodded. "I know. I'm pretty sure this is that other girl again though."

Sakura frowned at him. "No it isn't. She's pissed me off! That selfish old witch! Ino or not, I want to kick her ass!"

Tsunade looked relaxed. "I'm one of the 'Legendary Three Ninja', I don't have to take a fight with one little girl seriously."

"Shut up!" Sakura jabbed her finger at her.

"Calm down or you'll definitely get your ass kicked," Naruto stood next to Jiraiya and Kira.

"It won't matter anyway." Jiraiya gave a sigh and shook his head.

Tsunade pointed a single finger. "One finger should be enough."

Sakura growled and crouched. "Cocky old hag!"

Shizune noticed Tsunade's eye twitch a little. "Tusnade, please. She's just a kid."

Both of them looked surprised and gasped as the girl blurred and vanished from in front of them.

Tsunade growled as she looked about. "What the?" She ducked low as Sakura's foot passed over her and spun around. The girl dashed back a short way and dodged as the blond swiped at her with her finger. The young kunoichi vanished again.

Naruto chuckled. "Oh. Not as easy as you thought?"

The blond woman glanced at him and growled.

Jiraiya looked a bit surprised. "Toying with her is dangerous. Careful."

Tsunade jumped up as two of Sakura appeared on either side of her, they both blocked kicks from each other and dashed apart as the woman came down and took more swipes at her with her finger extended. "She's fast." The Sannin rolled forward and thrust her finger forward.

Sakura took a blow in the gut as she seemed to blur and appear right into the blow. The girl flew away and rolled over the dirt. After a moment of coughing and struggling to her knees she growled and glared forward.

Tsunade shifted sideways as another of the girl kicked at her, and poked her finger into her forehead. The other pink haired girl flew back and vanished. "Shadow clones? Interesting." She seemed amused.

The real Sakura charged forward again, rushing past Naruto and Jiraiya with a kunai in her grip. She had a serious frown on her face as she pulled it back to ready a stab.

Tsunade just looked on and focused her attention on the girl. She started to strike by jabbing her finger forward, but a foot passed by the side of her head that forced her to shift sideways and roll across the dirt just as the girl stabbed at her from the front.

She'd almost taken the blow and growled as she stood up again. Another Sakura had blind sided her from above, and her shirt had a small hole at the side of her belly. "What the?"

Sakura frowned as she readied her kunai again with the clone beside her. She moved to attack from either side of the woman while she stood back up.

This time, Tsunade tapped the side of her wrist, spun around the blow, and jabbed the clone in the forehead as it tried to jump at her as she dodged. It vanished, and Sakura was sprawled across the dirt with her weapon clattering across the ground ahead of her.

Tsunade jumped into the air to come down on top of her, intending to pin her on the ground with her foot. She had a smirk on her face, but it died as the girl rolled over and started to stand while she was in the air. "What?!!"

There was a ball of Chakra forming in her hand and a glare in the young kunoichi's eyes. "You won't beat me so easy!"

Tsunade extended her body, moving over the ball of power as the young girl extended her palms out. She kicked her dead in the forehead with the end of her big toe and sent her flying into the wall of a nearby building, cracking the clay, and sending her slumping to the ground on her rear.

The woman looked at her leg. The end of her right pant leg was shredded a bit. "What? Rasengan?"

Sakura couldn't move, she'd had the wind knocked out of her. Shizune was beside her trying to help her. "Are you okay?"

Naruto walked over and grinned back at Tsunade. She couldn't see it from behind his scarf. "Well, looks like one finger wasn't enough after all. Was it?"

The woman glared at him. She turned towards Jiraiya. "Rasengan? You've been teaching this girl Rasengan?" Her lips turned down. "Only you and the Fourth can perform that technique. What right do you have to show something like that to this girl?"

Naruto spoke up with Sakura leaning against his shoulder. Shizune was helping him a little. "I asked him to."

Tsunade snorted at him. "What? Who are you anyway? Why should that matter?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." The boy answered. "Who are you to say who's right it is to teach that to anyone anyway? I'm pretty sure I've got more say in the matter than you do."

"The Nine Tails kid? I see." The woman turned towards Jiraiya. "Teaching this girl a technique she can't possibly perform? You should be ashamed. Even if he did ask you to."

The man looked away and flushed a bit. "He wouldn't let me teach him by himself. I wasn't planning on including her, but I had to bring her along."

Sakura pushed off Naruto's shoulder. "Who are you to tell me what I can't do!? I only need another week, and I'll have it mastered!"

Tsunade just smiled at her. "Some words brat. A woman should never take her words back."

Sakura grinned at her and balled up her fist. "What do you mean? You didn't beat me with just one finger, did you?"

Tsunade glowered at her.

Shizune flushed and looked away. "She's right you know."

Naruto gave a nod and seemed pleased. "Yeah, she is."

The blond woman glanced at her. "Who's side are you on? Shut up!" She turned to face the girl. "If you can master that technique in a week, I'll give you this necklace."

The raven haired woman gasped. "Tsunade! That's your most precious..."

Sakura gave a rough snort. "I don't want it! It's tacky!" She turned her head away and seemed even more annoyed.

Jiraiya spoke up. "Don't say that, Sakura. That necklace is a very unique and valuable ore that belonged to the First Hokage. If you sold it, you could buy three mountains."

Naruto looked impressed. "Hey. You can do it. Might not get another chance at something like that."

Sakura glared at Tusnade and shoved him aside. "I don't care what it's worth. I don't want it. If I can learn this technique in a week...you make me your apprentice!"

Everyone looked at the girl with wide eyes and hanging jaws.

Sakura balled up her fist and looked at the woman with her eyebrows furrowed and a glare in her eyes. "If you don't want to help Ino, fine! Then show me how to do it myself, and you won't have to! I'll take care of it myself!" She swiped at the air and looked the woman dead in the eyes. "I won't give up, and I'll follow you to then ends of the earth if you refuse. I might not be strong enough to drag you back now, but someday I will be! You can count on it!"

Tsunade frowned at her. "I'll agree, on one condition."

Shizune gasped. "Tsunade!"

Sakura just gave a firm nod. "Sure, anything you want."

The woman smirked at her. "If you fail, you go home, and never bother me again. Give up on your friend, and get on with your life. Learn to deal with it."

Naruto looked at the expression on Sakura's face. She got wide eyed and her jaw was slacked. He said nothing and kept his arms crossed as he gave her a small nod.

Shizune hung her head and looked away. She looked a little relieved. The situation had scared her. Tsunade had never gambled with that necklace before. Not once, she knew what it meant to her.

Sakura nodded. "I accept."

Tsunade turned away and started walking off. "Shizune, come on." Her companion moved off after her and glanced at the children.

Jiraiya gave a heavy sigh. "Well, I guess it's all up to you."

Naruto shrugged. "She can do it." He didn't say anything, but Jiraiya wasn't exactly right. He never promised anything. Even if Sakura had to go home, he'd never agreed to give up himself. "We'll be fine." Of course, he wasn't about to say that to Sakura until the mess was over with.

Sakura hung her head and held her shoulders. "Come on. I'm tired."

Kira nodded and moved up to Naruto's side. If the girl lost and had to return to Konoha, she'd only have to get him away from the old pervert. That would make things easier for her. Still, there wasn't much she could do to stop the girl from learning at that point. She already had most of the technique.

It was kind of annoying, but she didn't really want to see the Sannin win that much anyway. She had plenty of time to work on training the Boss regardless.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Sakura Crams!


	26. Chapter 26

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto.

Part 26

Naruto's new training.

OooOOooOO

Jiraiya sipped on a cup of Sake in a small stall with Tsunade at his side. It was evening, his two students and Shizune had left them alone to return to their rooms for the evening. The two Sannin were relaxed and chatting together.

"It's been a long time." The man chuckled as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Tsunade nodded and knocked a drink back. "So it has."

"What's gotten into you? You were pretty careless." Jiraiya looked straight ahead and folded his hands in front of his mouth.

"What do you mean?" She looked away, avoiding eye contact.

"I know that necklace of yours means a lot to you. I have to admit, I'm surprised you've not gambled it away by now." He gave her a half cocked grin and glanced at the back of her head.

"I'm not worried." She sipped on the small cup again and seemed to relax a little more.

The man nodded. "Well, she refused it. Now you've just got to worry about taking on a student."

Tsunade seemed amused. "Why would I worry about that? It's not like that girl can..."

Her companion interrupted her reply. "You know. I only started teaching it to her because of him. I didn't think she could get it. I had only meant for him to learn it. Now you've gone and upset him though."

The woman gave him a smirk. "I've upset him? He didn't seem upset."

The man chuckled. "You don't know him. He's nothing like his father, serious and intelligent like his mother. If he's upset, you won't find out until he does something about it."

Tsunade chuckled. "What's that got to do with that girl? Why should I care about how upset he is? What's he going to do?"

"He's going to make sure she learns that technique. You've actually ruined my plans. There's no way she won't learn it now." He leaned on his own palm and gave her a rather smug looking half drunk grin. "He thinks of bringing you back to Konoha as a mission, and he won't accept failure. Don't think you've gotten rid of him if that girl can't manage the technique for some reason. He's got no intention of giving up, and you won't get rid of him by tricking him into some sort of game."

Tsunade growled a little. "Is that so?"

"I don't expect her to fail." Jiraiya gave a small sigh and looked a bit annoyed at the idea. "Not after you've gotten him so worked up about this now."

"What's so special about that boy anyway? He didn't talk much." The woman frowned and knocked back another few gulps. "What's with him and that pervert girl with him?"

Jiraiya shrugged and rubbed his finger on the bar counter. "Naruto? He's married to the Nine Tails, it's not inside him anymore. He formed a contract with it that protects Konohagakure. On top of that, he's the youngest Jounin of his generation. Orochimaru attacked Konoha recently, and that boy not only stood against him, but saved Sarutobi-sensei's life doing it. He's a tactical genius, he won't try to overpower you, but he's smart enough to trick you. They're using the tactics manual he authored at the academy in Konoha now. Oh, and he's the King of the Kitsune, his little girlfriend is one of his subjects. I'm not sure just how aware of that he is." He looked at her and grinned. "Don't go thinking that you'll have an easy time of it if you manage to get rid of that girl with this little game of yours. Naruto will be much more difficult to dissuade or trick."

The counter top cracked under her grip as she glared at him. "I'll remember that."

The white haired Sannin nodded. "Yes. It would be wise. I suggest watching your back if it comes down to that. He won't try anything unless Sakura fails, but if he has his way, you won't even see it coming."

The woman's face became hard. "Not much chance of that happening."

Her companion nodded. "Maybe." He took another drink and seemed to think on it himself. "If there's anyone who can pull it off, it's him. He's a bit annoying, a little immature, and naive, but he's anything but stupid. I've been teaching him and his little kunoichi friend Rasengan for less than a month now. Because of him, both of them are nearing the end of the third stage of the training."

Tsunade shook her head and chuckled. "You're still a fool. There's no way that bratty little girl is going to learn something like that in a week. She'll never master that kind of technique."

He nodded. "When I started this trip, that's what I thought too."

"That's foolish. They are just children. Sarutobi made that boy a Jounin? Leaf must be pretty pathetic these days."

Jiraiya sat back and took another drink. He looked at her. "You know, Sarutobi-sensei wishes to retire. I think it was because of this incident with Orochimaru. He almost got himself killed."

"He's afraid?" Tsunade's eyes hardened and there was a bit of scoffing in her tone.

The white haired man shook his head. "He's old, and he's not getting any stronger. I think he's realized the time to pass it on has come. I don't think he's very happy about it."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't want the job."

He looked at her. "That wasn't the point."

"What the hell is it then?" She was getting annoyed with him.

"If this hadn't happened, and he'd decided to remain Hokage for another five years, I expect Naruto would have been the fifth."

Her face contorted, Jiraiya was looking straight ahead and leaning over his folded hands as he said it. "What? That kid? Are you joking?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "Maybe. I don't think he'd decided definitely, but...I do get the feeling he was considering it. Kids can change as they get older. I can't say for sure, but I think Naruto had become his top prospect. I sort of understand why."

Tsunade gave a snort. "That kid is nothing. You're a poor judge of character."

Jiraiya gave a nod. "Maybe. I don't think Sarutobi-sensei is though. He was right about us. He's to be trained as an ANBU, with that girl, when we return."

The woman shook her head. "Right about us? Look what happened to Orochimaru. Look at me. You're just a perverted wanderer. Good judge of character indeed."

The white haired Sennin chuckled at that. "You've become cynical."

She glowered at him with the bottle hanging between her fingers as she poured another drink. "Age will do that."

He nodded. "Indeed."

"That kid as Hokage? What a laugh that is." Tsunade rolled her eyes and gave a small sigh.

"Maybe. He said it used to be his dream to be Hokage. I think it still is, but he won't say it." The man smirked. "That boy, he'll be important to the future of Konoha. That much I'm sure of."

She didn't seem upset with him, but frowned. "That used to be us, and look how that turned out."

He smiled at her. "I'm beginning to see what Sarutobi-sensei sees in him. It's strange, but he's more like his father than he seems. Konoha seems to think of him as a hero. I'm starting to believe in him as well."

She looked away. "Then you're bound to be disappointed."

"They hated him once. What he represented. He didn't have the best childhood." He shook his head. "Now, I doubt I can find more than a handful who would speak ill of him in that village any longer. Despite everything, against all odds, they respect him."

Tsunade looked over at him, her face without expression. "Sounds like an arrogant punk to me."

Jiraiya stood up and slapped her on the shoulder. "You'd think he hasn't noticed to be honest. He's confident, but anything but arrogant."

She nodded once and downed the last of her drink. "Whatever. What do I care anyway? In a few days, that girl will be out of my hair. That boy won't last a week after she's gone. I don't think I'll have much trouble changing his mind if he doesn't give up."

"Don't be so sure. He never has before. He wouldn't be where he is today if he ever had. Say what you will about Sarutobi-sensei's judgment. He's not the type to give anything to anyone who hasn't earned it. That much, even you can't deny." He popped his back and waved over his shoulder as he turned away. "I'll see you later. I should head back."

She folded her hands and stared forward without a word as she just gave a nod she didn't even know if he noticed or not.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting with his back against a tree. Nearby, Sakura was grunting in effort as she cut a few more gouges into a tree with the ball of chakra she still had not managed to compress fully.

It had been three days, and he was very relaxed and had his eyes closed. The tree he was leaning against had a hole in it the size of his head just above him. Nothing of note had occurred since the girl had challenged the Sannin woman.

The kunoichi sat down and seemed to relax as she frowned over at the boy in the hood and mask. It was obviously frustrating to her that he'd gotten it first. Even though she kind of expected it, the fact that he'd met those expectations with what appeared to be little difficulty grated a bit.

"Relax. You can do it, I'm sure of it." He settled down a little more and looked over at her.

"I've only got four days of training left." She looked at her hands and frowned.

"Well, you're almost there. Relax, it's easier if you don't try and force it." He popped his shoulder and rotated his arm as he leaned forward.

The girl looked on as he formed the ball of chakra in his palm to show her. It took a moment of concentration on his part, and he moved his hand about over his open palm. It glowed with power and made a whirring noise as it floated above his palm in a perfect sphere. Sakura peered at it and studied it and what he was doing as best she could before he dispersed it. "Well, I've still not gotten it yet."

The boy nodded and closed his eyes. "You will. Don't worry so much. If you get frustrated it will just make it more difficult. Besides, the best I can do is show you at this point."

She stood up and faced the tree again. "Right. I can do this. I have to! I can't fail! Ino is depending on me!"

OooOOooOO

Sakura was flat on her face a short distance away in the middle of a small grove of trees. "Ouch."

Her instructor was standing nearby with his arms crossed and leaning against a tree. "All right, twenty push ups isn't too bad at this point. Roll over and do some stomach crunches for a bit to give your arms a break."

The girl flopped over and looked annoyed. "Yeah. This sucks. It's like I'm getting my body in shape all over again."

Uzumaki nodded. "Pretty much. Man, I can't wait to get my hands on Sasuke for this. I wonder how much he'll whine? It will be awesome."

The pink haired girl growled at him. She didn't speak up though, he was pretty sadistic if she mouthed off to him she'd found.

The boy chuckled at the look on her face. "You know, I had to do all this too. Don't look like that, it's not so bad."

Sakura squeezed her stomach muscles and lifted her torso off the ground as she started. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. It was no worse than when she'd first started physical training at the academy, and seemed to be going much faster.

OooOOooOO

That evening, the trio of nin sat around the table with the kitsune girl and a meal was spread out before them.

Sakura had a frown on her face, her hair was messed up, and she was dirty. One of her eyes was drooped half shut, and she looked about ready to fall over. Still, she was shoving rice into her mouth with her chopsticks and eating in a rather voracious manner.

Naruto was much more relaxed and seemed cheerful as he ate.

Jiraiya glanced over at the pair out of the corner of his eye. "How is your training going?"

"I've got the Rasengan down now." The hooded nin looked over at him.

"I've never been so sore and tired in my entire life," Sakura grumbled between bites of food. She knew if not for the training Naruto had given her, she wouldn't even be able to move enough to eat. It still left her body feeling even worse after she broke her jutsu and returned. Her chakra was almost drained dry, and she needed to sleep to recover.

The white haired Sennin chuckled. "Yes. I noticed that training you've been doing on the side. I do wonder if it's making it more difficult to learn the technique?"

The boy shrugged. "Didn't hurt me. She's not using chakra to do it either. That's kind of the point."

The man seemed to think on it and nodded. "I suppose you're right."

Sakura gave a small sigh. "It leaves me even more sore in the evening, but as much as I hate to say it, I think it's actually helping me with the Rasengan. I've still not gotten it, but I'm much better than I was before. I'm sure I'll learn it in time. What he's teaching me doesn't use Chakra, so it doesn't hurt the Rasengan training, in an odd way, it helps with my control as well."

Naruto nodded. "It's not so odd. It's a form of Chakra control as well in it's own way."

Kira was sitting beside Naruto and picking at a bowl of rice. She was eating in silence and watching them both out of the corner of her eyes.

The hooded nin was finishing up a bowl of Ramen and stretched his arms after gulping down the remains of the warm broth. "Well, I'm done. I'm gonna go get some rest." He stood up and started back towards the room.

"Right. I want to go to sleep right now, but I'm so hungry." Sakura grumbled as she watched him with a bit of envy.

Kira didn't say anything as she moved to follow the hooded boy up the stairs to their room.

Jiraiya seemed more interested in nursing a small flask of warm sake as the girl continued to eat. He glanced over at where Naruto and Kira had been and cocked his eyebrow. There was a small bottle on the table where the fox girl had been sitting. "Hmmm. I guess I'm on my own tonight..."

"Huh?" The kunoichi looked over at him with a few shoots poking out of her lips.

He shook his head. "Nothing, just thinking to myself."

OooOOooOO

Kira smiled as she watched Naruto walk into his room as she pretended to be moving towards the room she'd been sharing with Sakura until he was out of sight. She leaned against the outside of his door and smiled as she looked towards the ceiling. "Three, two, one..."

There was a thump from inside the room. She chuckled to herself as she opened the door and looked down at Naruto. He was face down in the middle of the room on the floor, halfway through taking off his shirt. "Heh."

OooOOooOO

Naruto groaned as he tried to put his hand against his forehead. His eyes squeezed tighter as he failed and grumbled to himself. "Huh? What the?"

"Oh good! You're awake now!" The room was a dark and gray haze was all he could make out as he woke up to a familiar voice. It was still night time, and the room was very quiet aside from the smooth female voice greeting him.

"Kira? What's going on?" His vision was hazy, and he could make out a blurb of violet hair and a pale face over him. There was a small metallic clinking sound as he tugged on his wrists.

She spoke in a subdued and quiet tone. "Well, you've learned that Rasengan thing right?"

"Yeah?" His vision was clearing up and he found her face about a foot over his own. He was on his back in bed with her giving him a cheerful grin while straddling his belly.

"So, now it's my turn for training!" She sounded quite pleased, but kept her voice down.

The boy looked up towards his arms, they were extended over his head. His eyes went a little wide as he found himself handcuffed to the headboard. "Uh oh." He didn't want to look towards her again, but found himself looking at a very nude girl sitting on top of him. To make matters worse, he was pretty sure his clothes were gone.

The young blond boy had very wide eyes as he stared at her naked and quite perky breasts.

She seemed pleased. "Good boy!"

He tugged on the chains again and looked up at his hand, and then back towards her. "Um...I...Uhhh..." He had to escape somehow. "Look, you don't have to do this..."

She blinked and gave him a rather sweet smile as she rubbed her hand against his cheek. "Yes, I do."

He shook his head. "No, you don't. Really, I don't mind. I don't want you to think that you've got too..."

The kitsune cocked her head. "Neither do I, but I really do have to do this."

"I um, wait!" She shifted a little more. "Look, I..."

She put her hand over his mouth and her smile faded away. "Look. Why do you think I'm here? I'm under direct orders from the Queen you know. I can't exactly say no to her. Masara and Koruma were supposed to take care of this, but you said something about not being comfortable with males, so they called me in."

He was sweating bullets. "I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with this either. You really don't have to do this. I'll talk to her, and..."

Her smile returned and she giggled. "Boss. Look." She sat up and rubbed on his chest. "It's true I'm under orders, but...I'm a total slut. I like this duty. I don't mind at all, and you're not...um...what's the best way to put it...defiling me or maybe taking my innocence? Well, I'm not a virgin. You're not really doing anything to me. I volunteered for this. On top of that, I'm the most qualified one for the job." She rubbed her nose against his neck. "You understand right?"

"Um, no?" Naruto was stalling as best he could. His lock picks were gone, and the chains too strong for him to break. The headboard was heavy wood, and he couldn't get enough leverage to free himself that way either.

She gave a heavy sigh and leaned onto his chest. "Look. It's training. If I don't do this, well, the Queen is going to be trouble for you. We'll start with just the two of us, and later, after you're comfortable with it, I'll have you make a few of those clones." She kissed his nose and chuckled. "You've got a lot of stamina, I'm looking forward to it."

"I'm not getting out of this am I?" He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed his head further into the pillow.

She was grinning at him. "I'm afraid not." She reached back behind her back with her right hand, and the Rasengan ball he was trying to hide and keep her from noticing vanished in an instant as his eyes became very wide as her hand found what it was looking for behind her. "Sorry, you're not getting out of this so easy." Her smile became very wicked looking for a moment as she took notice of his attempt to break his bonds with the chakra ball. "Be a good boy and relax. It's my duty after all, and I want to show you how I won that trophy you saw when we met that old woman."

Naruto swallowed hard as she kissed his cheek and started sliding down his chest. He started to make another Rasengan for a moment, but his entire body went very tense, and then relaxed as he settled down into his pillow as his eyes became very mellow all of a sudden. "Hey, that's not so..." His body jerked very tense again and he sucked in a large gasping breath as he pushed his head further into the pillow.

He decided it was best to not try and break the handcuffs again.

OooOOooOO

Naruto had a somewhat dazed stare as he staggered out of his room the next morning. His chains were gone, and the young kitsune girl was curled up next to him in the nude when he had woken up.

He'd managed to get his clothes on in a bit of a stumble, and found himself looking at a grinning Jiraiya as he walked out of his room.

The Sennin slapped his shoulder. "Good morning!"

The boy gave him a rather blank look. His hair was mussed a bit and poking out of his hood at odd angles.

"So, how did it go? Did you enjoy yourself?" The man leaned in and put his pinky up.

Naruto cocked his head and seemed to think on it. He didn't look to be all there. After a moment, he looked up at the man again. "My pipes are cleaned."

The hermit gave a hearty laugh and slapped his shoulder again. "Well, that's reason to celebrate! You've finally become a man! Your father would be proud!"

Naruto seemed confused. "He would?"

Jiraiya seemed to think on it for a second. "Well, yes. I'm not so sure I'd tell your mother though. Come on, we'll get some breakfast."

OooOOooOO

The pair were sitting down at the table a few moments later. Jiraiya had practically forced him to down a few small cups of sake as they waited on their meal. The man spoke up. "So, did you like it? What happened?"

Naruto was a little flushed, and the Sannin didn't try and give him any more alcohol as he took a few more drinks for himself. "Um, I guess. She drugged my food last night and chained me to the bed."

The white haired man gave a serious nod. "Well, it was for the best I'm sure."

Sakura came down the stairs with a small scowl on her face as she looked behind her. "Where were you last night? What's with you anyway?"

Kira was on her way down the stairs as well. She was dressed in a yukata that was smaller than it should have been as usual, and seemed subdued, but had a very cheerful grin on her face. "Nothing, just had some business to see to. I probably won't be staying in the same room as you again for this trip."

The kunoichi gave a rough snort. "I guess I get the room to myself then." She didn't mind much, the kitsune girl didn't talk much and pretty much just went to sleep. Neither one of them spent much more time than that in the room.

Kira nodded and slid in next to Naruto. "Yeah. Pretty much."

The boy looked tired and dazed still. He didn't say anything and seemed to ignore them both.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "What's with you?"

He shrugged. "Long night."

She frowned at him. "Did something happen?"

Jiraiya spoke up. "No, he just had some training to do last night. Private stuff."

With that, the food arrived and the pink haired girl brushed it off. She had enough to worry about that day with her own training.

OooOOooOO

Two nights later, Sakura opened the door to her room and frowned. "Oh. It's you. What do you need?" The woman who had been with Tsunade was standing outside her door. She didn't have any reason to dislike the woman and kept her tone polite.

Shizune looked down the hall over her shoulder. "I wanted to talk with you, about Tsunade."

The girl blinked in surprise. "What about her?" She looked to get a little irate.

The dark haired kunoichi's lips turned down a little. "Please, don't think badly of her. You don't understand her."

The girl put her hand on her hip and frowned. "She's been a rotten witch so far."

Shizune hung her head a little. "You wouldn't understand. That necklace, it's very special to her. Her most prized possession, it means more to her than her own life. It's not something she's ever bet before."

The young kunoichi's face softened. "You're worried about her?"

The dark haired woman gave a nod. "A little. That necklace is cursed, it only responds to Tsunade. Any who possess it but her die."

Sakura shook her head. "Why does that matter? I already refused it. This isn't about some jewelry. I'll do anything to help my friend. Even if I have to spend ten years under her as her student, even if I have to do it myself. I will not fail Ino. I won't give up."

That caught Shizune off guard a little. "You were close with this girl?"

The girl turned her eyes away. "Once. I...wasn't kind to her. We became rivals, and before it happened...I said some things. When we were younger, we were good friends. Then, well...it was over a boy. I feel kind of stupid about it now."

The woman gave a nod. "I see."

"What do you care? I'm not interested in taking your place. I don't care if she becomes the next Hokage or not." Sakura didn't seem hostile and let her into the room before sitting on the bed.

"I care about Tsunade. I owe her more than I can repay." The woman sat down next to her. She told her about the young boy who had been the first recipient of the cursed necklace, and the man who had won Tsunade's heart, and met a tragic end after receiving it.

When the story was finished, Sakura had her head hung. "I see."

Shizune gave a nod. "Tsunade has had a difficult life. She's not a terrible person. Please, don't..."

Sakura let a few tears fall and stood up. "I can't say I understand. I've never lost a friend or someone I care about that way." She balled up her fist. "I know that as a Ninja, someday I will be forced to face it." She turned to glare at the woman. "That doesn't mean I will willingly allow it to happen. I will do anything I can to prevent it. I'll protect my friends, the people I care about with my life if I have too. Just because someday I will feel that pain, does not mean that I will just allow it to happen now, and forget about the ones I can still save." She closed her eyes and lifted her nose. "Ino wasn't on my team, but she's a member of my village, and a comrade. Ninja who don't look after their comrades are lower than trash."

Shizune looked at her with wide eyes. "I...see."

The girl turned towards the door and opened it leaving the woman sitting on her bed.

The older kunoichi stood up and looked confused. "Wait. Where are you going?"

The young chunin looked over her shoulder at her. "To train. I'm not getting any sleep tonight. No point in wasting time. I won't give up."

OooOOooOO

Naruto smiled as he sat just outside the window to the room on the roof and looked up at the sky. It was a clear night, and the moon and stars gave the street a pale glow.

"What are you doing here? You little pervert!"

The hooded boy cocked his head and looked over to find Tsunade standing next to him with a scowl on her face and her hand on her hip.

"I suppose I can't deny that." He scratched his head and stood up to face her. "Still, I'm here to learn about my target."

Her features fell and her hand fell away from her hip. "Target?"

He nodded. "You."

"You think you're strong enough to take me?" She sounded half annoyed, half amused.

The boy gave a small shrug. "Not really. I would never try to fight you head on."

She narrowed her eyes and snarled at him. "You'll get yourself killed. I'm not to be toyed with."

He nodded and seemed relaxed despite it. "I noticed. I don't intend to give you the opportunity."

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, looking him up and down to regard him. "Arrogant punk. I don't see why Jiraiya seems to think so highly of you."

He cocked his head. "Does he? I wouldn't know. I suppose that's nice, but I don't need anyone's praise. I prefer not to be noticed."

She looked up at the sky. "He told me your dream is to become Hokage."

Naruto didn't seem to react, and hung his head a little with his eyes closed. "Dreams are for sleeping. I only care about my duty."

Tsunade looked over at him. "You're just a tool then?"

"That's right. I live to serve Konohagakure. What else should a ninja be?"

The answer caught her off guard. She growled a little. "What duty?"

"Bringing you back to the village at the moment. Don't think that if you manage to get rid of Sakura, and you won't by the way, you'll be rid of me as well." Uzumaki remained still and relaxed, not seeming worried about the powerful Sannin glaring at him.

"You'll be killed."

"Then I will die with honor. What better end for a ninja?" His voice was still even and calm.

"How foolish. Then again, you seem to have a habit of being foolish. You really think that girl can succeed? Are you stupid?"

The boy gave a nod. "If it is stupid to believe it, then yes. Sakura will succeed, I'm sure of it."

Tsunade turned her gaze away from him. "How can you be so sure?"

"I intend to make sure of it. If I have to run her into the ground, she'll win that bet." He sounded a little amused at the idea. "Besides, what would you know of it? I know more of what she can do than you do. Why should I care what you think about it? Even if she doesn't learn in time to win your little bet, she'll master it anyway. If she fails to win that bet of yours, I'm not going to allow her to give up."

The woman frowned at the answer and glanced at him again. "What do you care anyway? Why did you make Jiraiya teach her?"

The boy looked over at her. "What do you mean? The stronger she is, the more useful she'll be. I don't want to have to watch over her and protect her. Not that I have to now, but the better a ninja she is, the more I can rely on her. I can't do everything myself. Not every mission can be completed by just one shinobi, no matter how strong they are. I have no intention of carrying my teammates to victory. They need to be able to complete their missions and survive, whether I'm there to help them or not. The stronger everyone on my team is, the more successful we'll be as shinobi, and the stronger the village will be as a result. Having an ace in the hole is nice, but having people you can rely on is far more useful and important to a shinobi. I've got a trick or two that I don't share with anyone, but hoarding secrets when I can help my comrades become stronger will only hurt me in the end."

The woman hung her head and crossed her arms as she leaned against the edge of the window. "If she wins the bet, she'll be my apprentice."

"She will still be a shinobi of Konohagakure. It will be a pain to train a replacement, but what I have taught her will make the village stronger. I do not serve my team, I serve the village. My comrades are my family, as much as my son."

Tsunade made a small choking sound. "What? You've got a son? How old are you?"

He glanced at her. "It's a long story. If you decide to return to Konoha, I'm sure you'll hear about it. I've no interest in sharing that with you. I don't know you."

The window opened and Kira poked her head out. "Oh. There you are, Boss!"

Naruto tensed up and almost jumped off the roof, but ended up flat on his face on the tiles as the violet haired girl snagged his ankle. "Oh no you don't! Come on! It's time for your training!" She was wearing very skimpy negligee and started pulling him through the window.

He pulled on the edge of the roof. "Wait! I should go help Sakura! She's got a lot of work to do!"

Kira frowned and grabbed the back of his pants. "Quit whining! She'll be fine and you know it! There's nothing you can do to help her at this point! You said so yourself! You've got training of your own to do! Come on! I've got a job to do too you know!"

Naruto wasn't putting up too much of a fight as she managed to wrap her arms around his waist as he gripped the edge of the window and did little more than force her to struggle a bit to pull him inside.

Tsunade was just glaring at him. "I knew it! You are a pervert!" She jabbed her finger at him.

Kira growled. "I wish! I had to tie him up last time!" She managed to heft him over her shoulder and he looked rather pathetic and seemed to give up. "Once I get started he's fine, but I had to drug him and tie him down twice!"

The woman stood and stared at the scene for a moment. "W-what?"

"Sorry. He can't talk right now. He's got to train." Kira turned away from the window and dragged him towards the door of Sakura's room. He was trying to grab the carpet in a pathetic and half hearted attempt at escape. "Cut it out or I'll just throw you on that bed and do it in here!"

The boy gave up and seemed to relax as she carried him in a fireman's carry to the door. "Damn."

Tsunade growled and turned away. "No wonder Jiraiya likes him. I should have known. Both of them are perverts. It explains everything!"

She cringed as she heard the kitsune's voice. "No! You've got to be on top this time! This is training! You've got to master all of the positions!" The Sannin woman decided it was best to be as far away as possible and jumped down away from the window.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

The deadline and the eyes of the enemy.


	27. Chapter 27

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

Part 27

The eyes of the enemy.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting on a branch while Sakura pulled herself up to her chin and grunted as he looked on. He was relaxed and looking up at the sky through the canopy over head. "How's that other training going?"

The girl hung and looked up at him. "I've only got a day left." She pulled herself up again and gave another grunt before lowering herself. "I won't fail."

Her instructor nodded. "That's good to hear." He hopped down and landed on the ground below her. "Give me one more and come on down."

"Fifty!" she grunted as she pulled herself up again and let go, staggering a little as she landed. The kunoichi managed to balance herself after a moment and wiped her brow.

Naruto was looking about the tree line and not paying her much attention. "Come on, we'll do a few laps around the woods." He started jogging away, looking over his shoulder at her.

The girl groaned a little but nodded and followed. She realized he was looking about and not paying much attention to what she was doing. "What is it?"

The boy glanced at her. "Nothing. It's not important."

She frowned as she kept pace, he wasn't running, but was leading her in a quick paced jog. "You look like you think we're being watched."

He nodded. "Maybe. We're not exactly trying to hide. I think someone may have noticed us, it's no big deal."

The pair stopped as a familiar woman stepped out of the tree line and looked at them. Hanging off her shoulder and staggering along was Sakura. The girl's clone stopped jogging along. She frowned and bent over, gasping for breath as Naruto gave a small chuckle at the scene as he stopped to regard it.

Shizune was looking at the other Sakura with a bit of surprise on her face. "Hey." The one on her shoulder looked miserable and slumped down as the woman released her arm. "Two of you?"

Naruto gave a nod. "Yes, at the moment."

The dark haired woman frowned at the girl beside her. "You're going to kill yourself over this." She shook her head and gave a heavy sigh as she put her hand on her hip to fuss at her a little. "Making a shadow clone while you're in this condition? You've drained yourself dry trying to do that technique."

The Sakura on the ground beside her nodded. "I won't fail."

Shizune frowned at Naruto. "You. What are you doing running her around like this in her condition?"

The boy cocked his head. "Huh? Well, we're just doing a bit of Taijutsu training and meditation. Nothing serious."

The real Sakura stood up and popped her back. "I told you. I'm fine. I just need to rest for a bit."

The older kunoichi grabbed her again and pretty much forced her arm across her shoulders. "Cut it out! You shouldn't be trying to stand in your condition. You'll collapse and die! Idiot girl! You're not going to win that bet if you're dead."

Naruto gave a small sigh. "All right. That's enough then. Go ahead and break your jutsu and get some rest. She's right, you're not going to get any more training for that technique done unless you rest." He looked at the clone and she frowned at him, but nodded.

Shizune seemed to relax a little more as the girl pushed off her shoulder after the clone vanished. Sakura stepped away from her. "I'm fine. I can walk, I'm not that bad off."

The woman shook her head. "You're near to dead, you've burned off all your chakra. I'm taking you back to your room. I can't just leave you out here."

Sakura looked annoyed, but Naruto gave her a nod. "Go ahead. You'll be all right. We'll pick this up later after you've gotten some rest. There's no hurry."

She gave him a smirk and nodded. "You're right, there isn't. Not anymore."

The older kunoichi seemed confused and rolled her eyes. "Stop acting tough. You're just a kid, and you're just being stubborn." She grabbed her arm and started walking her back towards the village.

Naruto watched the scene with his arms crossed and watched the pair move off. "Good for her then." He stood in silence for a few moments and looked up at the trees. "Did you learn anything interesting?"

A voice from the shadows gave a small chuckle. "A bit. Noticed me did you?"

The boy nodded once and didn't move or look towards the voice. "A while ago. You've been watching us for a couple of hours now. Is it really that interesting watching two teenagers work out?"

The voice gave a snort. "That girl is weaker than I thought she was. I'm left wondering how she became a Chunin."

Naruto shrugged. "She earned it. Tell me, what is it you're looking for, Kabuto?"

The man appeared in front of him, though his voice was coming from behind him before. He pushed his glasses up his nose and gave a fake, but pleasant smile. "Nothing much. Just keeping tabs."

The young shinobi gave a nod. "On what?"

The man cocked his head. "Orochimaru has become interested in you."

Uzumaki remained calm and nodded. "That's good to know. I suppose I'd be lying if I said I was surprised to hear that."

The gray haired man gave a smirk. "You're just going to stand there?"

The hooded nin shrugged. "What would you have me do?"

Kabuto gave him an appraising glance. "You do realize that..."

"...You're a spy? Yes." Naruto didn't seem worried or impressed.

The older nin nodded. "So, you're not that foolish. You're not going to try and stop me?"

Naruto looked at him. "From doing what? You're a known spy, that limits your usefulness. Besides, as far as I know, you're not a wanted man. I've got no orders to capture or kill you. I'm more interested in your boss than you anyway."

The man narrowed his eyes. "I see. What makes you think I'm not here to kill you?"

Naruto cocked his head. "What makes you think I'd give you the opportunity?"

The gray haired nin smirked again. "Well, aren't we cocky?"

"Not really, you're surrounded." The boy didn't move and remained calm.

Kabuto glanced to his left and right. "I noticed." There were at least four more of the boy's shadow clones in the trees to his sides and behind him. None of them moved to attack or subdue him. "So, what do we do then?"

Naruto looked towards the canopy. "Well, you can leave if you like. I won't stop you. There's nothing particularly secret going on here. I'm sure your boss will be interested in what you've learned. Even if it's not much, and will be pretty common knowledge soon enough. There's no reason to bother with you."

"We are enemies." Kabuto gave him a frown. "You do realize that, don't you?"

Naruto gave a nod. "Are you trying to get me to attack you or something? I'd rather not deal with it this time if I can help it. A conversation will be more useful at this point I think."

Kabuto seemed confused. "A conversation? How amusing."

"What do you want with Sasuke?" Once again, the boy remained calm and cordial.

Kabuto shrugged. "He's one of the Uchiha clan. His bloodline is powerful, and he's got untapped potential. We want him."

Naruto nodded. "You think he might join you?"

The man chuckled and nodded. "Of course. We know he will. We can give him something you can't. He'll be ours soon enough, there's nothing you can do about it."

The hooded nin nodded and remained calm. "Revenge against his brother Itachi?"

Kabuto nodded. "So, you know about that."

The young nin nodded. "Yes. I've met Itachi. Very powerful, why Sasuke and not him? Itachi seems more like the kind of man who might be interested in that sort of thing. Sasuke won't join you. He's an emo prick sometimes, but it's not in him."

The gray haired nin chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

Naruto nodded. "Maybe. What makes you think you can give him what he wants?"

Kabuto leaned against one of the tree trunks and gave a snort. "He'll join us, whether he wants to or not. We're not really giving him a choice."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Well, fighting over it now would be pointless. He's not here. You'll have to take him by force."

The man cocked his head. "Hit a soft spot did I? You intend to stand in our way?"

The hooded nin nodded. "Of course. You said yourself that we're enemies. Right now, attacking you would gain nothing. I'm not about to let you walk away with my friends either."

The man shook his head. "He'll come to us on his own. You're just holding him back. Staying with you, will never get him what he wants. He's weak, and he'll stay weak as long as he's in Konoha. He'll realize it soon enough."

Naruto shook his head. "No. I intend to make him strong, whether he likes it or not." He smirked under his mask. "I think I'll enjoy it."

Kabuto gave a chuckle. "You?" He reared his head back and laughed. "You? You make him strong? What would you know of it? How do you intend to do that?"

Naruto shook his head. "He'll never overpower Itachi, even if he's stronger. I've met his brother, and he's a cunning opponent. The only way to defeat a man like him, is to outsmart him. Your master can't give him what he wants. I can."

The spy seemed amused. "How foolish. You intend to give him his revenge then?"

Uzumaki lowered his eyes. "Does he want revenge, or does he really want to be stronger than his brother, better than him?"

"His hatred has already consumed him. You just don't see it yet. It will only get stronger." Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. "He wants to be stronger than his brother, but he wants it so he can have his revenge."

Naruto cocked his head and seemed to think on it. He didn't speak and kept his thoughts to himself. "I can't trust Sasuke as he is now. He went off the deep end when he met his brother, and it almost got us all killed. We might have been able to catch Itachi, or that friend of his if he'd not blown his top like that."

Kabuto noticed his silence. "You know it's true. You can't save your friend."

Naruto looked up at him. "I will do whatever I have to. I will not fail, and I will not allow you to have him."

The man's face went serious. "Even if it means killing him?"

Naruto said nothing and looked at the ground again. "You won't turn him. I know him well enough."

Kabuto eyed him with a small frown on his face. "Do you really?"

The boy nodded. "Of course. He's my teammate, my rival, and my friend. I would rather help him get his revenge myself, then allow you to use it to take him away from the people who care about him."

Kabuto gave a snort. "Pathetic. Don't make promises you can't keep. You could never make him strong enough to defeat Itachi. You're just a boy, and your overconfidence is pathetic and uninspiring."

Naruto shook his head. "I am a Jounin of the Leaf. I don't make promises I cannot keep."

The spy chuckled. "We'll see. Sasuke isn't the only reason we're interested in you. You'll die, and that pet of yours with you. Then, the mother will take care of Konohagakure for us."

Naruto drew his sword and crouched.

Kabuto seemed amused. "Didn't you say you weren't interested in fighting? I thought this was just a talk."

"I had no reason to attack you before, but now you've gone and given me one." Naruto's voice was cold and even, but it was obvious he was pissed.

The older nin balled up his fists and glared at him with a rather crazed looking grin. "How are you going to protect your friend if you're dead?"

The boy put his fingers up in front of his face and pointed his blade down at a forty five degree angle behind his back. "I told you already. I don't intend to give you the opportunity to kill me." In a puff of smoke, the boy was gone.

Kabuto relaxed and looked around. "Well, we'll see how well you do then. I was hoping to get the opportunity to kill you myself. Orochimaru would rather not bother with it himself." He spun around and performed an open palm strike. The hooded boy hit one of the tree's shoulder first, and his left arm hung limp at his side as he recovered.

The older nin moved to stab two fingers at his chest, but was forced to duck and kick back rolling over his shoulders as six kunai crossed his path as he moved from the bushes surrounding him. The spy narrowed his eyes at the injured Naruto as he jumped into the canopy and vanished into the branches. "I see, so you were just bait then." The Sound nin jumped up as a pair of hands came up from the dirt at his feet and tossed a kunai into the soil. The hands vanished as he landed on a tree branch overhead.

Unfortunately for him, the branch didn't hold his weight. He glanced over his shoulder with wide angry looking eyes just in time to see Naruto putting his sword away over his shoulder. Kabuto twisted as he fell, narrowly missing being cut in half by the pair of clones that jumped from the bushes with their blades trying to catch him in mid air. Both of the hooded Leaf nin were tossed aside as he kicked one and used an open palm strike to the other's belly. They both vanished as he landed on the ground. He growled as a metal game trap snapped closed just under his nose as he crouched over the ground. "Little punk!"

The Sound spy pushed his legs hard and flipped backwards as a black blur shot from the nearby bushes and nearly cut his head clean off. He tossed three kunai at the apex of his jump and landed with his hands preparing a seal. As soon as Kabuto's feet hit the ground he started rushing sideways as he kept working his hands to prepare his jutsu.

Naruto had appeared behind and in front of him with his hand on the sword at his back as he kept pace at his sides. Kabuto finished his jutsu and slid to a stop spinning in place as his arms worked in a fast blur. A few kunai were knocked out of the air as Naruto stopped and tried to jump back. Both of the Naruto clones took several strikes from the spy's palms and fingers.

The pair of Kage Bunshin were tossed back, each sporting small cuts and lesions on their necks, chest, and arms and legs. Their limbs had gone limp and they couldn't move, after a second of trying, they both vanished in puffs of smoke.

Kabuto looked on and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Feh. The coward." He turned and called to the wood. "What's the matter? Afraid to face me yourself?"

"Why would I?"

"It would be stupid of me to take a risk like that."

"No point in sticking my neck out needlessly."

"Why should I give you an opportunity like that?"

"I mean really."

"Why should I give up my advantage just to be fair?"

"If I cared about fair, I'd be a Samurai."

"There's no good reason to risk giving you an opportunity."

"I'd rather win than be fair, after all, I am a ninja."

Kabuto growled as ten of Naruto were surrounding him at once, each one half in and half out of cover. It was obvious he wasn't planning on rushing him all at once. Each one slipped away after speaking. The last remaining one stepped out into the open.

"Now, shall we continue? I'm afraid I can't allow you to live or escape. You're too dangerous. I'll be seeing your boss soon enough." He set himself to attack again, but didn't rush at his opponent.

Kabuto narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "I'm sure. When you do, you'll die."

"Not so confident you'll kill me yourself anymore?" The boy set himself and reached for his sword again.

The man smirked. "Another time then." He tossed a smoke bomb at his feet and vanished.

Naruto looked on, none of his clones had seen him leave. One fell from the canopy and vanished before it hit the ground from a wound to it's neck. "Slippery bastard. I'll see him again." He vanished along with his extra clones.

Nearby, Naruto was sitting near the top of a tree, leaning against the trunk while lounging on top of a branch. His eyes were closed and he opened them to look away towards the east. "Perhaps sooner than he thinks. Heh."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was pushing a pair of hands away from the front of his pants and backing away."What are you doing? Are you crazy!? Not like that!"

The young naked girl on her knees in front of his crotch was trying to pull him towards her and undo his belt. "Oh, don't be such a baby! It'll be fun. I know this appeals to you. I can tell you know, you can't fool my nose. You're definitely attracted to this."

Naruto froze and looked towards the door. "Shit."

The girl blinked and turned to smile at the one who had interrupted. "Hey. Great! Maybe she'll help out this time?"

Haruno Sakura stood with her jaw hanging in the doorway. "What the?"

Naruto was pink and looking at her with wide eyes. "It wasn't my idea! I swear!" He waved his hands in front of his face.

What appeared to be a clone of Sakura was naked on her knees in front of him. "What? Are you saying you don't find this appealing?"

"No!" cried the boy as he whipped his head around to face the naked Sakura. "Don't look like people I know! It's creepy!"

Sakura was just looking on with the door's wooden frame gripped in her hand. The wood groaned, cracked, and splintered.

"Will you hurry up and change back! I said no! You're gonna get me killed!" Naruto was looking at the still silent kunoichi in the doorway.

The naked Sakura furrowed her brow and scratched her cheek. "Huh? Well, if you say so. Are you sure? Maybe she could join us? It would help with the training."

A vein pulsed on Sakura's forehead, followed by another as her eyes closed a bit tighter.

"Oh man." Naruto crooked his arm around Kira's throat and bailed out the window.

"Huh? What are you...? Gack!"

The room's outer wall exploded, sending debris raining down on the hooded nin as he dragged the kitsune along behind him after landing in the street. Her feet were kicking and her face was going a bit blue as the boy carried her down the road.

"Boss! You're choking...gack...me!"

"Run you idiot!"

"Both of you! Die!" Sakura was running after them with a barrel hefted over her head. "Perverts! How dare you! What the hell were you doing anyway?"

Kira had managed to get to her feet and was running beside Naruto. "I'm guessing this means she doesn't want to help out then?"

"Shut up and run!" Naruto glared at her as he pumped his legs as fast as he could.

OooOOooOO

"Pervert." Sakura growled and glared at Naruto as they sat around the table eating dinner that evening. Her hair was messed up and sticking up in a few places, and she was gripping her chopsticks a little tight.

The boy just shrugged at her. "Well, I'm past denying that. Quit glaring at me, it wasn't my idea to begin with." He'd managed to lose her and vanish with Kira's help, she'd transformed back into a fox again and managed to hide them with an illusion that made them both look like a rock.

She grabbed his shirt. "You should have said no."

"I did say no." He responded as he pushed her hand off. "I was in the middle of explaining why it was a bad idea to her when you showed up."

Kira was looking away and tapping her foot with her nose in the air. "What do you care anyway? It's not like you had to interrupt."

The girl's eye twitched. "Isn't he married to your Queen or whatever?"

The kitsune shrugged. "Yeah. Whose idea do you think this was in the first place? I'm here to train him so he knows what he's doing. Why do you think I've been hanging around all this time?"

Sakura sucked in a gasping breath and looked at the boy with wide eyes. "Are you kidding?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not really. It seems I've become king of the perverts. All of the Kitsune I've met are like that."

Jiraiya spoke up and nodded. "He's right I'm afraid. I've met a few others, and they were all like your friends. It's not so bad."

Sakura growled. "Look, you use your own body and leave mine out of it you little tramp." She leaned over to glower at Kira.

"I didn't think you would care. Jeez, sorry." She didn't look at her and flushed a bit. "Are you sure you don't want to help out? I don't think he'd mind."

"Leave me out of this." Naruto frowned at the fox girl.

"I can't believe you're going along with this." Sakura poked her chopsticks at Naruto. "I thought better of you."

The boy nodded. "So did I to be honest. Still, I guess it can't be helped. I am king after all."

"What?" Sakura moved away from him and her eyebrow twitched. "Gross."

Jiraiya chuckled. "He's right you know. It's best if he just gives up."

Naruto seemed annoyed. "Hey. Don't put it like that. I've not given up anything, I've just...accepted my fate."

"Right." Kira seemed pleased and nodded. "We're just more liberal than humans. You're so prudish, especially here in Fire Country. I don't get what the big deal is with humans and sex. It feels great."

Sakura growled. "You can get sick whoring yourself out. What about diseases? What if he gets you pregnant?"

Kira cocked her head. "Well, this body is an illusion. You can't get sick with a Kitsune, and well, I'd have to try to get pregnant. It's not something that can happen by accident with our kind. Well, not in human form at any rate. Even with no birth control or anything he's got nothing to worry about. What's the big deal? There's no down side here."

Sakura blinked. "What?"

Naruto looked just as surprised. "Huh?"

Jiraiya nodded and looked quite serious. "She's right you know. He'll be fine, and he has a duty to his people. He should do his best to understand them. He's not doing anything wrong by learning about their culture. In fact, it's part of his duty if he is to be their King."

Naruto furrowed his brow and seemed to think on that. "Hey, why didn't you explain that sooner? You wouldn't have had so much trouble if you'd told me all that before."

The kitsune blinked. "Huh? You didn't know?"

He shook his head. "Why would I? The Queen is the first Kitsune I ever met."

Sakura looked even more annoyed. "Disgusting."

Naruto shrugged at her again. "Sorry. I have to admit it made me nervous, but it's not a bad deal considering. What do you care anyway? I thought you were all hot on Sasuke. Why do you care what I do?"

"You leave me out of your perversions." She glared at him and hissed a bit. She flushed a bit and looked away. "Sasuke isn't like that at all."

He nodded. "I already told her about that, it wasn't my idea to begin with. It creeps me out a little to be honest."

"What? I'm creepy am I?" The girl's tone got a little heated.

Naruto gave a small sigh. "It's not you. I don't think you're bad looking or anything. It's just, I know it's not you, and it's just weird that way for some reason." He shuddered a little. "I'd rather she didn't mimic people I know to begin with. Back off would you?"

Sakura glanced at him and seemed to relax. "Fine. I give up, it's not worth arguing about. If I catch you trying to imitate me like that again, I'll rip your arms and legs off." She leaned over to glare at Kira.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I didn't think you were so sensitive. What do you care anyway? If you don't want to help out with the training, keep your nose out of our business." The Kitsune nodded at her. "If you're that hot about it, I won't do it. Still, he needs experience with different body types and I'm gonna call in more help sooner or later. Orgies are part of our culture, there's a couple of festivals that center around that sort of thing. He's gonna have to deal with it at some point."

Sakura choked on a mouthful of food for a moment and started coughing. "What?! That's..." She looked at the kitsune, and thought about Masara and Koruma again. "Never mind, I don't want to know. Just shut up and forget about it."

Naruto was a bit flushed, but didn't respond as he looked down at his plate with rather wide eyes.

"Lucky bastard," Jiraiya grumbled under his breath.

Naruto gave a small sigh and seemed to shake himself out of it. He didn't want to think about it at the moment and pushed it aside. "Can we talk about something else? I hate to say it, but it's not really any of your business what I do. It shouldn't effect our job you know. We've still got to to work and train together. Nothing is different now just because I've accepted my fate as king of the perverts."

"Well, king of the Kitsune anyway." Kira gave a small sigh. "You still pitch a fit and make things difficult when it's time to train you know. I wouldn't go calling yourself 'Pervert King' just yet. You've still got a bit of work to do."

Naruto shook his head. "Not really. You should know I could get away without much trouble if I really wanted. I just make things difficult because if I didn't, you'd be dragging me off all the time and I'd never get anything else done." He pinched her nose with his chopsticks. "You're cute and all, but I'm not going to be your personal sex toy. I don't mind that much, or I wouldn't let you, but I've got other responsibilities to deal with and a job to worry about. I'm just making things difficult for you so you don't start thinking you've got some kind of control over me because of this."

She flushed and leaned into him, rubbing her finger across his chest. "No, Boss. I'm -your- personal sex toy."

Sakura put her finger into her mouth and made gagging noises. "Gross!"

Jiraiya was crying tears of pride and dabbing at his face with a handkerchief. "Naruto, you've grown so! Your father would be so proud!"

"You know, I've got my doubts about that." The boy seemed a little annoyed.

"King of the perverts, how fitting." Sakura grumbled as she poked at her rice bowl.

"You've done well, Naruto. As my student, you've come to understand the true principals of manliness! I, Jiraiya the great Sage, am proud to call you my student of sexy manhood! You have truly come to understand the value and virtue of manly charm and not giving in to the seductions of women, but rather having them give up to the seductions of a true man!" The man balled up his fist and seemed quite pleased.

Naruto's face fell a little, but he decided to let the man have his moment. "Um, sure. Thanks, I guess."

Kira cocked her head and seemed to think on that. "Well, I wouldn't quite put it like that. I did have to drug him and tie him up the first few times."

Sakura's head whipped around. "What?"

Naruto shrugged at her. "I could have gotten away. She waited until I woke up to get started. It's not big deal, I ain't mad or upset or anything."

The pink haired girl gave a small sigh and hung her head. "Whatever. Can we please change the subject? If I hear about how manly you are one more time I'm going to hack up all this food I just ate." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not as manly as Sasuke."

Kira was leaning on his arm and rubbing her cheek on his shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that, and it will still never be true."

Sakura growled, but bit her tongue. "Shut up, Ino. You're not helping," she muttered under her breath.

Jiraiya sipped on a bit of Sake and relaxed. He'd finished his meal and seemed content to relax until Naruto and Sakura were finished. "So, how is your training going?"

The kunoichi started to speak up. "Well, I..."

"Time's up." The group turned to see Tsunade with a smirk on her face. She had her hand on her hip and was glaring at the group. "You've failed have you? If he's asking you that..."

The girl frowned and stood up from her seat. "Don't look so cocky. I haven't lost yet."

Shizune put her hand on Tsunade's shoulder. "Please, go easy. She's just a kid."

Tsunade looked her dead in the eye. "Unless you can prove to me that you've mastered Rasengan right now, you've lost."

Naruto stood up and started walking towards the door towards the street. "Well, come on. Let's get this over with then." Kira was hanging off his arm as he moved off.

Jiraiya cocked his head. "Hmmm. He doesn't seem worried." He glanced over at Sakura and found the girl frowning at Tsunade and ignoring anything else.

Tsunade frowned at him. "Just shut up and tell her to give up. You know damn well she hasn't..."

He looked at his fellow Sannin and shrugged. "I haven't got a clue. I haven't been keeping track of her. Naruto already learned the technique, and he's been supervising her training on his own ever since."

Sakura brushed by Shizune and the dark haired woman watched her walk by. "I ran across them, she was almost dead from exhaustion and I helped her back to her room the other day."

Tsunade glanced back at her and narrowed her eyes. The woman flushed and looked at the ground. "What? Who's side are you on?"

Shizune looked a bit flustered. "I wasn't helping her beat you. I just got her back to the hotel safely. I found him with a shadow clone of her in the woods. They were doing Taijutsu training. It's strange, but they didn't seem to be training for Rasengan at all. At least, that's not what it looked like."

Sakura was standing by the door glaring at Tsunade with her hand on her hips. "Are you coming or not?"

OooOOooOO

Sakura stood opposite Tsunade in the street. "So, are you ready?" The woman put up her finger.

The pink haired girl nodded. "I'll show you then."

Tsunade chuckled. "Just performing the technique isn't good enough. If you haven't learned to use it in a fight, you haven't learned it. The same as before, I'll beat you with one finger. If you can't even pull it off, then you lose."

Sakura balled up her fist and nodded. "Lets go then."

Tsunade cocked her head. "Any time you're ready."

The girl vanished from in front of her. Tsunade gasped and narrowed her eyes. "Something is different." She looked around, not looking nervous, but a bit confused.

Naruto chuckled at the scene and seemed rather relaxed against a nearby wall. "Interesting."

Jiraiya leaned in. "She can do Rasengan now? I never did get an answer."

The boy nodded. "Yeah. She's had it for two days now. I'm wondering what she did with it though. I've got no idea."

Jiraiya looked confused for a moment. "What she did with it?"

The boy seemed cheerful. "Just watch. I'm interested to find out myself."

Tsunade had overheard and growled under her breath. She spun around and shifted to the side. Sakura jumped out of the shadows behind her with her palm held out and a ball of chakra floating just in front of it.

The Sannin woman flicked her finger and Sakura was rolled over onto her side in the dust. "Damn." She staggered to her feet and saw the woman rushing forward. Tsunade jabbed her finger at the girl again but Sakura flipped and managed to dodge it. The young kunoichi spun into a kick that impacted the Sannin's forearm.

Tsunade smirked. It was obvious the attack was more to force her to give the girl a foothold to flip off of and push herself into the air to put some distance between them. "Clever, but not good enough. No clones this time? Can't do that while using Rasengan?" Her eyes locked onto Sakura as she flipped up high in the air. The woman tensed to launch herself at the girl. Sakura was twisted away offering her back and keeping her hands hidden behind her.

Tsunade was prepared to dodge the Rasengan when she got near to the girl and then knock her out of the air. She was not prepared to have the girl wave her arms, and send the ball flying directly at her before she even left the ground.

"Whoa!" Jiraiya gasped as he looked on. "She...threw it?"

Tsunade was forced to jump back and growled as a huge crater was gouged into the ground by the attack. It was four feet wide and deep. "Wha?" As she looked up, a pair of feet planted in the center of her forehead.

Tsunade didn't lose her balance or her footing, but she also didn't manage to catch Sakura as the girl landed on the opposite side of her crater in a crouch with a kunai in her grip after flipping off her forehead. "What? You little brat...I'll..."

Jiraiya was standing between them with his back to Tsunade and his hands on Sakura's shoulders. "That's enough. Tsunade, you lost."

The woman looked at him and gasped. "What?"

Jiraiya chuckled and looked over his shoulder with his most suave looking grin. "Your challenge has been met. This girl has proven she can use Rasengan in a fight. Not even I could throw one. I'd never even thought of trying it before."

The woman was standing and shaking with her fists balled up. "I...lost? This girl..." She glanced at Naruto.

He looked quite pleased. "Yes. That means that you've got to teach her now, doesn't it?"

"Where did you learn how to do that?" The woman turned her eyes towards Sakura.

The young kunoichi tossed her hair. "Team Seven has a rule. Every technique you learn, you master, and then you take the next step. You learn to make it your own."

Naruto nodded and walked up to congratulate her. "Good job. I never thought about throwing one of them."

Jiraiya seemed surprised. "You didn't help her with that?"

The boy shook his head. "Nah. I was working on my own thing."

The man slapped his shoulder and seemed pleased. "What's that?"

"I call it the Rasengan Lockpick." He raised a finger and a tiny ball of chakra formed on the tip of his index. It made a small whirring noise similar to a dentist drill, but not quite as loud. "I figure it'll open just about any locked door or chest, and it doesn't take much chakra at all. It was kind of a pain in the butt to get it so small, but I don't need to use near as much chakra to do it."

Sakura arched her eyebrow. "Hey, that is pretty cool. I figured it's kind of hard to charge one of these and sneak up on someone with it. It takes too long, and it's too much noise to charge it right behind or next to someone without them noticing it. So I figured if I could toss one, it would be much more useful."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I was having the same problem with it. It's very strong, and I suppose I can use it if I get caught in a jam where I'm forced to face someone head on. Still, it's got a big charge time and makes a lot of noise. I was hoping that something a bit smaller would make less noise, it's still too loud for a stealth attack, but I can charge it much faster. Still, the only real use I can think of for it is ripping up a lock on a door or something. It's too small to really hurt anyone seriously, unless I put one in just the right place." He seemed pleased with himself. "More a tool than a weapon. I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of it. It's much faster than picking a lock. Though, it will also destroy the lock in the process."

Tsunade was looking on at the scene. She remained silent and had her head hung down a little.

Shizune moved up and put her hands on her shoulders. "Tsunade...I..."

The woman looked up at the girl again. "You know...I should run away."

Her companion lowered her eyes and remained quiet.

"They would follow me though. They wouldn't give up." She bit her lip. "I should kill them."

Kira, the fox girl turned her head to frown at her. She was hanging off Naruto's back.

Jiraiya walked up with a bit of swagger to his step. "Thinking about running away, or killing them? Which is it?"

The woman glanced at him. "I'd never forgive myself if I killed those kids. Not over something like this. I lost, and even if I ran away from my debt, I couldn't live down just getting rid of them because of it." She hung her head. "I won't get rid of them if I run, will I?"

The man gave a small sigh and shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

She nodded and glanced over at the pair. "The future of Konoha, doesn't seem as bleak as I remember it."

The white haired man nodded. "I'm just a messenger working on behalf of the village. I'm not officially one of the nin, and I've got no obligation to bring you back. I've done my part just giving you the message." He scratched at the side of his face as he leaned against the wall next to her. "What are you going to do?"

She looked at the pink haired girl who walked up. She had her arms crossed and a serious frown on her face. "You lost."

The Sannin woman nodded. "So I did."

"So, when do we start? You show me how to be a Medical Ninja. You show me how to fix my friend on my own. You're not getting rid of me until you do."

Shizune giggled a bit, the girl looked so serious.

Tsunade looked annoyed. "That's no way to talk to your teacher young lady." She stood up tall and glared down at the girl. "I said I'd make you my apprentice and that's what I'm going to do. You're not getting off so easily after humiliating me this way. Fix your friend..." She gave a snort and continued, "I've got a lot more than that to shove down your pretty little throat whether you like it or not. Now that I've got you under my thumb, you're going to learn everything I feel like teaching you. Got it?" She lifted the pink haired girl up by her shirt and put her nose up to hers.

Sakura had gotten very wide eyed and worked her mouth open and closed rather like a fish. Her face went hard. "I don't care what it takes. As long as Ino is cured, I'll do anything. I won't run away from my part in the deal."

Tsunade dropped her and gave a small sigh. "All right then. We'll head back to Konohagakure tomorrow. It's as good a place as any and she'll have need of the library there anyway."

Naruto gave a small sigh and looked over his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a shadow in the distance on a rooftop move his arm as if to push his glasses up his nose before sliding back into the darkness. He ignored it, and turned back towards the scene.

OooOOooOO

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at Kabuto as his spy stood before him. "The brat is a Jounin?" He was seated in a chair in his quarters, lounging as his subordinate stood in front of him giving his report of recent events.

His servant nodded. "So it would seem. The Sannin, Tsunade, has returned to Konoha with them. It seems the girl is to become her student."

Orochimaru frowned but cocked his head. "That's interesting. I've not seen her in many years. Still, it's of no particular importance. It should do nothing to change our plans."

"Yes, I thought it was only of mild interest, but thought you might like to know. Who knows, it may be useful one day?" His spy nodded. "The boy is very strong, nothing I can't handle though. Still, Jiraiya was protecting him, and he's difficult to draw out into the open. He prefers to fight with shadow clones as opposed to risking his own neck. I believe that is the real reason the four had so much difficulty dealing with him. He uses them to run his opponents around in circles and distract them away from the real him. I doubt I even saw the real him while I was there."

The Sannin nodded. "What did you learn of why they wanted to speak with Tsunade?"

Kabuto seemed to consider it for a moment. "It seems there was an unusual injury during the exams of some sort. They seem to be interested in hiring her as an expert. However, I suspect that the Third wishes to speak with her regarding his retirement as well. I overheard a little that suggest that, but could not get close enough to verify it."

Orochimaru frowned a bit. "Really?"

"Well, we are speaking of two of the 'Legendary Three'. I do not think little of myself, but I'm hardly worthy to consider myself within such company. It was difficult to stay close enough to gather that much information without getting caught. Naruto is a master spy, and his presence made things more difficult than I anticipated as well. I'm pretty sure he came close to spotting me on more than one occasion."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Did he?"

Kabuto nodded. "He's intelligent, difficult to track, observant, and it may be best to be rid of him. He's likely to be a problem in the future."

The Sannin nodded. "If you get the chance, kill him."

His spy nodded. "Of course." He paused. "What is our next move?"

"Uchiha is our primary goal at the moment. The fox brat is of little concern at the moment. I agree, it's best to be rid of him. However, lets not forget our goal."

"He's in Konoha with Kakashi. There's not much to report, he's training in the village with him as we speak. Nothing out of the ordinary, he seems to be preparing him for his ANBU training, though it's not officially started yet. He's to be inducted into the ANBU with his two teammates when they return. However, the girl may or may not be with them, as she's now Tsunade's student. It may be a while before an opportunity presents itself."

Orochimaru nodded. "This body will do for a while yet. We've got time to create an opportunity of our own still. No point in rushing things."

"I'll see what I can do of course. Is there anything else you wish to know?"

His master waved his hand and settled into his seat. "Not at the moment. I'll summon you if I need anything."

Kabuto nodded. "Then I shall return to my work." He turned away.

Orochimaru stood up with a wicked looking smile on his face. "Kabuto, one more thing."

The gray haired nin paused and looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"

Orochimaru kicked him dead in his rear and sent him sprawling on the ground on his belly. "Heh."

The spy looked confused and nervous and didn't dare pick himself up. "What did I...?"

Orochimaru reached down and ripped a page off his back, letting it drop down to the ground in front of Kabuto's face. "Nothing, I just couldn't resist."

The gray haired nin looked at it in shock. He growled and narrowed his eyes as he picked up the 'Kick Me' sign and crumpled it up in his hands. "What? When did...?" He stood up and calmed as he found himself standing in the room alone as Orochimaru left him, chuckling to himself. "I see. You'll pay for that, Naruto." He tossed it into a nearby waste basket and walked out of the room to see to his duties.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Return to Konoha!


	28. Chapter 28

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto.

Part 28

Return to Konoha.

OooOOooOO

Naruto grinned at the female nin squatting across from him in the bushes. Spread out before them was a large map with several markings drawn onto it, a long line and notations.

The kunoichi with him had short brown hair and was wearing a forehead protector with three claw marks like the ones over the leaf symbol on his own. She pointed down at the marking near the top corner. "Here. It's a hidden underground fort of some kind, we've marked off the defenses on the outer perimeter. There's a lot there. They don't want visitors, but they also don't want to be noticed. Even the defenses are well hidden. It would be hard to get close without being seen. The route your spy took is marked, but I advise caution. He likely didn't care if he was spotted. We tracked him at a fair distance, and he never noticed us. Thanks to that sign of yours, it was easy."

The boy nodded and smirked. "Right." The area was well outside Fire Country. "So, this is his base then?" The 'Kick Me' sign was also a beacon. A ninja like Kabuto would have noticed a tracking jutsu. However, he had an entire network of small furry spies with super sensitive noses. He'd noticed Kabuto nosing about the day before he'd run into him in the woods. Kira had marked the paper for him with pheromones. Kabuto couldn't smell them, but the foxes could track them for miles.

The kitsune nin nodded. "Right. It's in Rice Country. It seems as though Hidden Sound isn't really a village, but is made up of several bases, with a few in places they shouldn't be. This appears to be the main headquarters." She tapped the marking Kabuto had gone to. "The only entrance is a small house in the woods. I can't say how big it is inside, but the local foxes tell of a lot of digging being done several years ago."

Naruto seemed to ponder that. "So, we can assume there's a network of tunnels."

The kitsune nodded. "Quite a network. The impression we got was that it wasn't a small scale project. It lasted for quite a while, and a lot of earth was moved."

The boy thought on that. "Great. You say there's other places like this, maybe outside of Sound's territory?"

She smirked at him. "Definitely. In fact, there's quite a few. None as large as this one I don't believe. The locals don't seem to know it's there."

"Any in Fire Country we know about?" He seemed relaxed and leaned back against a tree trunk.

The kitsune girl shrugged. "Yes, but I'm not sure where exactly. I'll see what I can find out. They're spread out all over the place. Fire Country is right up next to their territory, so it's likely near the border. Probably more than one really."

The boy nodded. "Don't go getting anyone killed over this. I'd rather not take unnecessary risks if it can be helped. There's no hurry, I'm not sure I'll be able to use this information right away. However, a place like this in Fire Country is something the Hokage would be interested in dealing with. It may yield some interesting intelligence, as well as a nice way to strike at them and get their attention without political risk. Getting caught in our lands will look bad for them and we might be able to use something like that as political leverage to operate in the Land of Sound if we need it later. I'd rather know where as many of them are as possible before we strike them. It would be best if we hit them all of their locations in Fire Country at once in a coordinated strike. It will give them less opportunity to destroy intelligence and we'll have an easier time keeping the element of surprise."

"Right." The kitsune seemed a little confused, but not because she didn't understand. His statement for their well being caught her off guard.

He peered down at the map and didn't seem to notice the reaction. "Right now, I'm the only one with an interest in this. I'll need help if I'm going to take care of Orochimaru. I can't act on it by myself, and while I appreciate the help from the Kitsune, I'd like to see if I can get the support of my village in this. With Sound having hidden bases in Fire Country, that will be easier to do. Hokage isn't likely to just ignore something like that."

She gave a nod and seemed to think on it. "I think I get what you mean. This place in Rice Country will be difficult to get to. It will be risky for Fire Country to get too involved. It could mean war."

Naruto nodded. "Right. Raiding the bases here first should give us more information about what we might find there. We might even be able to get the support of other countries. Ask around, I want to know where there are places like this, not just in Fire Country, but anywhere else as well. We might be able to drum up some support from other lands in dealing with these jerks if we've got evidence that they've been nosing around in their countries where they shouldn't be."

His spy nodded. "Right. That might help prevent war, but there's no guarantee."

Naruto nodded. "Yes. I've got to deal with this jerk sooner or later though. The more I know the better I'll be able to handle hit when it happens." He crossed his arms and seemed to think on it. "I don't want to drag Fire Country into a war if I can help it. I'm hoping there's another way to deal with this, but it may be our only option. He's already attacked the village once, and I don't think he's given up. This is definitely important information, but I'd rather have more before I go to Hokage with it. He's going to be a hard sell, and I'd rather have a plan that won't drag us into a war with Rice Country, or at least have the support of other countries before we deal with something like that."

The kitsune girl nodded and poked at the map along the border. "I'll ask around this area first, and put word out to find out more."

He cocked his head and seemed to be thinking very hard. "I'm hoping I'll be able to sneak in somehow and just assassinate him and Kabuto, but I'm not so sure that's a viable option. He's one of Konoha's Legendary Three, and he won't be an easy mark. Kabuto is no slouch either, it wasn't easy getting that sign on his back without him noticing. I almost didn't pull it off, it was half dumb luck."

The fox girl smirked. "Right. I've got ya, Boss. I'll spread the word, and we'll see what we can find out."

The blond boy nodded. "Yeah. These guys threatened Kitsuma. I want to fuck them up any way I can, and he'll be safer if they've got no place to hide in Fire Country. They can't be allowed to have a base of operations here."

The fox girl's face fell. "Huh?"

The young nin glanced at her. "They threatened my son, and pissed me off. You be careful, I don't want you or any other foxes getting in over their heads and getting killed. You're no good to me dead. It may take some time before we can really do anything, so there's no rush here. We might need to take bigger risks later, but for now, we're better off being careful and not tipping them off. I'd rather they didn't find out we're nosing around just yet if we can help it."

She nodded and looked much more serious. "I see."

"That jerk that I had you guys trailing ran his mouth too much, and now this Orochimaru jerk really has my attention." Naruto looked a little frustrated. "Unfortunately, as it stands now, he's out of my reach outside of Fire Country. If we do a good job of this, and uncover some of his hidden bases, it will be much easier to get to him later though. We might even be able to get some help dealing with this 'Hidden Sound' from the other places they've got spy networks and hidden bases in. The Hidden Sand hate them already, but the more support we get, the easier it will be."

The Kitsune gave a nod and pointed at the map. "This is all I can give you right now. His route is marked, and we're pretty sure this Orochimaru guy is here with this spy of yours. Word is, Kabuto is his right hand man, his number two and most trusted aide."

Naruto gave a nod. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

The girl gave him a smile again. "Sure thing, Boss."

The hooded nin folded up the map and put it in his shirt.

The fox girl smiled at him. "Is there anything else you need, Boss? Anything at all?" Her sleeve fell off her shoulder a little and she pushed her chest forward.

Naruto's eyes drooped half closed. "I um..." She looked very eager to please him. With a small sigh he scratched his head. "All right fine. You did a real good job with this I guess." He had a feeling he was going to have to start 'rewarding' them on occasion when they did something for him. They seemed to expect it, and had no use for money. It wasn't a bad deal on his end either, even if it would take some getting used to.

She already had her top off and was crawling onto his lap looking pleased.

OooOOooOO

Naruto grinned as he walked through the gates of Konoha. "Ah, home." Kira was beside him and looked pleased as well.

Sakura was beside him looking pleased as well. "It's good to be back."

Tsunade and Jiraiya were walking side by side behind them. Tsunade was looking around, with Shizune just behind her. The Sannin woman spoke up. "It's been a long time."

Jiraiya seemed pleased. "Hasn't it though? Come on, we should speak with Sarutobi-sensei."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Let's go. I want to pick up my son and get a bowl of Ramen. I'm sick of campfire rice."

OooOOooOO

The office of the Hokage was empty when they arrived.

Naruto frowned. He leaned towards Jiraiya and whispered at him. "Hey. What's so funny anyway?"

The man was chuckling. "Nothing, I had a feeling."

Sakura didn't seem worried, but looked impatient. "About what? Where's the Hokage?"

Tsunade was standing in front of his desk with his hat in her hand. She was looking at a note and shaking a bit.

Shizune was beside her looking flushed and not speaking as she took a few steps back and put her fingers in her ears.

Tsunade whirled around with an angry look in her eyes. "That old bastard! How dare he!?" She slammed her palm on the desk top, but not hard enough to break it. "Oooh! Just wait until I see him again!" She crumpled the note and tossed it at Jiraiya.

Sakura and Naruto jumped a bit and backed away a little with wide eyes.

Naruto managed to catch the note and opened it up to read it out loud. "Tsunade, I've decided to go fishing. Leaving no one in charge of the village for the time being, be a dear and look after it for me. P.S. Feel free to use my old hat, I've got a new one, and won't be needing it any longer." Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

The Sannin woman glared at him walked around the desk, sat down, and put the hat on. "That crusty old bastard. I should have known."

Sakura cocked her head and looked a bit confused. "The Hokage has gone fishing?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Not at all, the Hokage just arrived. She's sitting at her desk right now."

Tsunade glowered at him. "Shut the hell up! I bet you were in on this! You were, weren't you?"

He poked his finger in his ear and looked away. "Why would he tell me about this?"

Naruto's face fell a little as he nodded. "So, she's the Fifth Hokage then?"

Jiraiya gave a small shrug. "Well, unless she intends to walk away and leave the village unsupervised for who knows how long. I'm certainly not staying to take care of it. I've got my own troubles."

Tsunade was slumped in the chair glaring. "By the time he shows up again, I won't be able to just hand it back to him."

Naruto gave a nod. "Sneaky. I always liked him."

Sakura glanced at him. "So, now what?"

Naruto gave a small shrug. "I suppose giving a report would be pretty pointless. I'm going to pick up Kitsuma and have a bowl of Ramen."

The kunoichi nodded. "I guess, I'll see you later then. I should probably go home too."

Tsunade glanced at her and the woman's features softened. "Not so fast, Haruno. I'm going to have to speak with the council, but we've got other business to attend."

The girl looked up at her. "Huh?" She looked around and found only Shizune and Tsunade were still in the room. "Business?"

The new Hokage smirked. "That's right, you're going to be my apprentice, remember?"

Haruno flushed a bit and nodded. "Yes."

Tsunade stood up. "Come on then. This can wait, Konoha can survive for a day without someone in this seat. Let's go have a look at this friend of yours."

Sakura got a bit wide eyed. "Huh?"

The woman walked up to her side and Shizune followed after her in silence. The Fifth paused and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "If you're going to be my student, you need to be at your best. Having that girl in your head might be problematic. Come along."

"Yes. Th-thank you." The girl almost jumped out of her skin.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was walking away from the administration building with Jiraiya beside him. He smiled as two nin moved up.

"Hey, Naruto. What are you doing here?" Shikamaru greeted him and looked surprised. His father was with him.

The man smiled at him and nodded. "Jiraiya, Uzumaki." He seemed very respectful to the both of them, but more so to the Sannin.

"Hey. Nothing much, we just got back. We found someone who might be able to help with Ino." He greeted both of the Nara men with a wave.

Shikamaru lit up. "Really?"

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah. Turns out the old man has retired too. The woman we brought back with us is the Fifth Hokage as well. Her name is Tsunade."

The elder Nara jolted a little with surprise. "Tsunade?" He looked at Jiraiya and smiled. "Ah, I see. The Yamanaka family will be pleased and relieved to hear that."

The man nodded. "Yes. She'll do well I think." He turned his attention to the younger Nara. "Your friend should be all right. If Tsunade cannot help her, no one can."

"Tsunade?" Shikimaru seemed confused.

Naruto slapped his shoulder. "Yeah. She's one of the Legendary Three. She's real strong." He leaned in. "She looks like she's young and hot, but in reality, she's fifty."

Shikamaru cocked his head and seemed confused. "Huh? If you say so..."

Uzumaki waved as he passed by. "Well, I should head home. I've not seen my son yet, and I've been gone a while." He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, come by some time and we'll have a match. Sakura sucks at shogi, and the pervy Sennin is even worse."

Jiraiya glared at his back. "Brat." His features softened as he stood and watched the boy walk off for a moment. "Well, my work here is done. I feel the road calling me."

Shikamaru clicked his tongue. "The new Hokage is a woman? Great." He crossed his arms and frowned. "I hate women, they're selfish and annoying."

His father leaned in with a smirk on his face. "Shikamaru, she's the worlds strongest and most beautiful woman. The kunoichi of the Legendary Three."

The boy didn't seem impressed. "Yeah. Whatever. She'll act cordial and friendly. I can never tell if they're really getting along or not."

The elder Nara shook his head. "Without women, there would be no men. Even the roughest woman is tender with the man she cares about. You'll understand when you're older."

His son shoved his hands in his pockets. "Whatever."

The man walked off. "Well, I should go or your mother will scold me."

Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder. "I hope Ino will be all right. Even if she's bossy and stupid. I suppose I can forgive the new Hokage for being a woman if she can do something for her."

OooOOooOO

Naruto scratched at his son's head. The fox kit licking his face and jerking about in excitement in his arms. He'd grown a few inches while he was gone and wouldn't fit all the way in his hood anymore. "Hey, calm down. I'm glad to see you too. I missed you."

"Well, how are things, Uzumaki?" Anko was sitting at the table nearby.

The boy blinked in surprise. "Oh. Hello." He was at Ken and Ryu's home. He was a bit surprised to see Ken sitting across from her. He usually didn't see them while he was there. "Pretty good. I just got back with Tsunade, the new Hokage."

The woman gave a small nod. "Huh? She stayed?"

The young shinobi nodded. "Yeah. The old man is pretty sneaky."

She clicked her tongue and sipped at her tea. "Rats. I'm out five ryo. Oh well."

The boy glanced at Ken. "Is Ryu about?"

The man shook his head. "Nah. He's working right now. I'm off today, just hanging around with Miss Anko."

Naruto gave a grin. The woman was looking at Ken the same way Kira looked at him sometimes. "Right. Well, I hope Kitsuma wasn't too much fuss."

Ken shook his head. "No, not at all. Your two little kitsune friends spent a lot of time over here helping out. It wasn't any problem at all."

Anko nodded. "Charming pair."

The boy blinked. "I hope they weren't much trouble. They're a bit..."

The woman gave a small sigh. "Perverted? Do tell."

The boy hung his head. "Yeah." He turned away. "Well, I'll be seeing you. Nice seeing you again, Miss Anko." He made for the door, he wasn't sure he liked the look she was giving him.

"Oh, I'll be seeing you real soon, Naruto." The woman seemed pleasant and grinned at him. It made him uncomfortable for some reason and he left a bit faster because of it.

He glanced over his shoulder as he walked away from the house and shuddered. "Man. What's with her? I hope those perverts didn't piss her off or something." He looked down at his son and smiled. "Come on, Dad is hungry, we're gonna stop for some Ramen and head back home."

OooOOooOO

Naruto opened the door to his house and gave a contented sigh as he walked in and set his son down. The kit yipped and skittered off to bounce around the walls for a while. He looked on and smirked at the scene as he closed the door and took off his hood.

He'd spoken to Ryu at the Ramen booth while he was there. He didn't actually see him, and his food had appeared while he was distracted talking with the owner. The man seemed quite pleased with his two new employees and spoke highly of them. He'd eaten and returned home right after.

He almost jumped out of his skin as he found three smiling faces grinning in a wicked looking manner at him around his table. "Oh. You three."

Kira had a cup of tea, and was beaming with Masara and Koruma both looking smug and cheerful.

"Hi, Boss!" Masara chimed.

"Did you...enjoy your trip?" Koruma giggled a bit.

He gave a small sigh. "You could say that."

The green haired kitsune slapped Kira on the shoulder. "Good job finally defeating him."

Naruto looked annoyed. "Hey. Don't put it like that."

The redhead nodded and ignored him. "Right. He was so stubborn."

The violet haired kitsune nodded. "Yeah. He's doing much better than when I started. I'll be needing help with his training. He's advanced enough that it's time to start on remedial orgy training."

The boy's head whipped about and almost turned backwards. "Huh? Hey. Wait a minute..."

"Well, the harvest festival is coming up. He's the king, and he's got to participate." Kira seemed to look very sage like and wise.

Masara nodded. "Yeah. You've got a title to defend, and he's got to help judge this year."

Koruma crossed her arms and agreed. "Right. It's his duty after all. Plus, what kind of festival would it be without the moonlight orgy under the full moon? We can't have that without the king."

Naruto was a little pale and frozen in place. "Um, you guys are just joking. Right?"

Kira shook her head and looked quite serious. "Of course not. You've only got six months to get ready. The three of us is enough for a start I suppose."

"Hey. None of that crap with Kitsuma around." He looked a bit firm and crossed his arms.

Masara looked over her shoulder and smiled. The fox kit yipped and walked into another room, closing the door behind himself. "Oh look! It's time for the Prince's nap!"

Naruto backed away as they stood up and started towards him. "Hey. Wait a minute..."

Kira frowned at him in a very cute way. "Now Boss, you know I've got to train you. Do I have to tie you up again?"

The boy swallowed and worked his mouth. "Well...I..." He hung his head. "Oh man."

Kira gave a smirk. "You know, we heard about Mizura when she brought you that map. You've done good, Boss. You're starting to get the idea. No point in backing down now."

Koruma grinned. "Get him."

Masara chuckled. "Maybe we can get him to make some of those clones later? That will be fun!"

Kira nodded. "Not yet, but we'll get to it."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was standing with his door open. His hair was messed up a little, he was wearing a red silk bathrobe, a pair of pajama pants, slippers, and had an unlit pipe in his hand. "Oh, hey Sasuke. What's up?"

The Chunin blinked in surprise. "Huh?" His features grew a bit harder. "So, you are back then."

Naruto gave him a sleepy looking grin. "Yeah. I was gonna come see you tomorrow. How are things? Is Kakashi-sensei all right?" It was early evening and the sky was growing dim, but not dark yet. "I was gonna stop by and see him and Iruka sensei tomorrow as well. I've been gone a while and I've got some catching up to do."

The black haired boy uncrossed his arms a bit. "He's fine." He'd never seen Naruto like he was. "What happened to you?"

The blond shrugged. "I was just getting a massage. You want one? The kitsune are really good at it." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

The three 'girls' waved at him. As usual, they were all wearing clothes that were too small, and had folded towels in their arms. "Huh? No, that's all right." He shook his head. "Hey. I'm serious."

Naruto blinked. "What's up then?"

Sasuke glared at him. "I want you to fight me."

The blond cocked his head. "Why?"

His teammate balled up his fists. "What do you mean why?"

Naruto gave a small sigh. "Look, we've got catching up to do. Come on in."

Sasuke seemed annoyed, but stepped in the door. "Hey. I'm not interested..."

Uzumaki gave a snort. "Shut the hell up would you? I've been training with Sakura while I was gone, and you've got some catching up to do. On top of that, we've got to worry about starting our ANBU training next week. Maybe later."

His rival nodded and flared his nostrils. "That's right. I've been training, and..."

Naruto waved his arm and indicated a chair. "Sit down would you? We're too busy to worry about fighting with each other."

"I..." Sasuke was confused and unsure of what to do. "Look, you'd better take this seriously!"

Naruto sat across from him at the table. "All right look. I'll level with you. That Orochimaru jerk is looking to recruit you. I ran into his lackey Kabuto while I was away. He wants your bloodline for something."

The raven haired boy's anger faded a bit. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"The jerk said something about helping you with your revenge. I can't trust you while you're so hot on the subject. You'll never beat Itachi charging him like a mad bull no matter how powerful a jutsu you can conjure up. Please tell me you've learned that much at least." Naruto looked serious and seemed to shake off his relaxed mood. He remained calm and stared him down.

Sasuke growled and frowned at him. "Mind your own..."

"It is my business. You're on my team, and if I can't trust you, that effects me, and Sakura as well. I'm the Jounin of Team Seven now, and that means you're my responsibility." Naruto leaned over the table to glare at him.

"I am an avenger." Sasuke gave him a dangerous looking glare. "Don't worry about me, I'll worry about myself."

"Yeah. I'm gonna help you get what you want. Do you really think just being stronger than Itachi will let you defeat him? Don't be an idiot. If you want to beat someone like Itachi, then you've got to be smarter than him. I can help you with that. Those idiot Sound nin can't. You're not going to charge him and pound his face in like you've been trying to do."

Uchiha growled. "I haven't forgotten you getting in my way."

Naruto nodded. "If you want me to stop, then you'd better get strong enough to beat him. I saved your life you cocky bastard. You almost got us all killed with that stunt you pulled in that hotel, you included." He poked the boy in his chest.

Sasuke turned his eyes away. "What do you mean? How are you going to help me?"

Uzumaki gave a heavy sigh. "Look. I like you man, you're a jerk, but I think of you as a friend anyway for some strange reason. I'm not interested in taking your revenge away from you. You learn to handle an opponent like Itachi, and you can have him."

The raven haired boy nodded. "I'm listening."

Naruto leaned forward and folded his hands in front of his face. "You can't just be stronger, being more powerful won't help you. You've got to be smart enough as well as be strong enough to kill him. You're just going to get yourself killed losing control of yourself and going into a rage like you did."

"What would you know of it?" Sasuke looked at the table top and sneered.

"Look, fighting me isn't going to help you. I'm going to train with you, and we'll be ANBU. That's not going to be easy. Itachi has years of experience and training over you. You're not going to defeat him without the patience to take the time and put out the effort to catch up. You give me two years, and I'll do everything I can to help you get your revenge. I'm not talking about doing it for you either."

The Chunin turned his eyes towards him without lifting his head. "What do you mean then?"

Naruto chuckled. "Still stubborn as ever." He sighed and sat back. "Look. You go running off rogue, and you'll just become a missing nin. I'm a Jounin, I have a bit more freedom in choosing my work and acting on my own. I still answer to the Hokage, but I should be able to help you go after him, without ruining what's left of your life after you get what you want."

"Should?" Sasuke turned his face away and grabbed his knees.

"You can't go running off. We might run into Itachi before you're ready. It would be stupid to just find him and attack him anyway. We need to treat it like a real job, and learn as much as we can, and pick a battleground of our choosing. You've got to learn to let it go until the time is right. Then, you can strike, win, and be done with it. Having no patience will only get you killed against your brother."

Sasuke glared at him. "I'll think about it."

"Good. If you betray the Leaf...I'll kill you. Orochimaru can't give you what you want. He's got no interest in your problems and has an agenda of his own. I'm your friend, I care about what happens to you, and I've got reason to help you. He doesn't. He only wants to use you, and doesn't care if you ever get what you want. Why would he? Remember that."

Sasuke stood up. "I'll think about it."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "How about that massage?"

The raven haired boy looked over at the trio of silent kitsune. They all smiled pleasantly and waved at him. "..." He turned away. "No thanks."

Naruto grabbed his shoulder. "Oh, shut up and do it. You're just being stubborn. What good is acting cool if you never bother with cashing it in?"

Sasuke frowned and glanced at him. "What are you talking about? I'm not acting."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I know. That's why I'm forcing you. It'll help you relax, and you look like you need it. Jeez, you're a butthole sometimes."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke staggered out of Naruto's home about two hours later. His hair was mussed a little and his limbs were loose and limber. He shuffled into the street and glanced over his shoulder. "..."

He hated to admit it, but he did feel much better. He reached up and scratched the top of his shoulder as he moved off towards his home. It wasn't bad at all, and he felt relaxed and refreshed.

The boy stumbled a little, but only a bit as he moved into the streets. They were empty for the most part and no one was around to see him stumbling a bit. "..."

He looked up at the sky and seemed to ponder. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked what a 'Happy Ending' was?"

Sasuke cocked his head and walked with a bit steadier. "Who am I kidding? Nah." He was perfectly fine with finding out. It was kind of nice not having any strings attached or anything.

He did feel like his chest was a bit lighter, as if some weight had been taken off of it for some reason. He wasn't sure why though. He had plenty of time to sleep on it anyway.

OooOOooOO

Naruto stood with his arms crossed and glanced over as Sasuke walked up. "Uchiha."

Sasuke walked up to find Choji, Shikamaru, and Naruto standing around in a waiting area at the hospital. "How are things?"

Shikamaru glanced over at the Yamanaka family. "Not long now. It's been a few hours, they've been at it all night."

The rotund boy looked half asleep and yawned. "Asuma-sensei is in with them. Something about helping with the seals with Ibiki."

Shikamaru nodded. "That guy who gave us the written exam. I hear he's an interrogation expert in the ANBU, probably something to do with the mental part."

Naruto nodded. "That makes sense I guess."

Sasuke gave a small snort. "Well, I just hope all this drama ends soon. We've got enough to worry about without it."

Nara looked annoyed, but only a little. "You're a real prince."

Kitsuma yipped from Naruto's hood. "Yes. We know, you really are." The fox kit now had his muzzle and tail poking out of the sides and didn't fit inside all the way.

Choji was looking at it with a bit of hunger in his eyes while eating a bag of chips.

Naruto frowned at him. "Quit lookin at him like that, or his Mom might decide you look like you might taste good."

The large boy shifted his gaze away and flushed a bit.

Sasuke gave a small snorting laugh. "Pretty soon you're not going to need that scarf to hide your face."

Tsunade walked out of the room and gave a heavy sigh. She looked worn out and wiped her brow. "It's done."

Shikamaru and Choji looked up at her with wide eyes. The Nara boy spoke up first. "She's going to be all right?"

Asuma walked out and put his hand on the boy's head. He rubbed at his hair. "She's fine, but she needs rest."

Naruto gave a small nod as he leaned against the wall. Sasuke started to walk off, but the blond grabbed his shirt. "Stop and see her before you take off. It won't kill you."

He glanced at him and snorted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Fine."

Ibiki walked out of the room with a few other doctors, and a nurse moved in past them to start her work.

OooOOooOO

Sakura was sitting with Ino. Both of them were on hospital beds next to each other and were recovering.

Everyone had visited them, Ino's parents first, and Sakura's as well. Then their friends had shown up. Kakashi had stopped by for a few minutes, but not stayed long. Both girls were alert, but were spending the night in the hospital.

The blond girl was looking at her hand. "Jeez, you bitch. You almost killed me."

Sakura's head whipped over and she growled. "What? Do you have any idea what I went through to..." Her anger faded as the blond girl looked over at her with a playful smile. They were both worn out and looked tired, but not so much that they were in danger of passing out.

"Yeah. I do."

Sakura worked her mouth. "Wait. How much do you remember about that?"

Ino chuckled. "All of it."

The pink haired kunoichi pulled her hands up in front of her chest. "Wh-what?" Her cheeks were burning red.

"I never figured Uzumaki for such a pervert. Not that I knew him that well." Ino fell back into her pillow and looked up at the ceiling.

Sakura relaxed a bit. "Yeah. I kind of wish I didn't know now."

Ino looked over at her. "I should be angry at you."

Haruno flushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen."

The blond girl shook her head. "I'm not. I...I won't give up on Sasuke."

The pink haired girl frowned at her. "Neither will I."

Sakura's rival gave her a confident smirk. "Well, I can respect that. I was kind of hoping you'd get a crush on Naruto, but...I know that's not going to happen."

Haruno frowned. "No kidding. That pervert."

"I suppose there's no point in hiding." Both girls looked over at where Naruto was leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura didn't sound angry. Ino didn't look surprised to see him.

"Just curious. I was wondering how much Ino remembered myself." He shrugged. "You remember everything that happened on that trip."

The blond girl frowned at him, but didn't seem angry. "Yup. You're a total perv. Just like that old guy, no wonder he liked you so much."

He cocked his head and turned towards the door. "Good. Get well soon. You've got ANBU training in a few days."

Sakura gave a nod. "Right."

"Bye pervert!" Ino seemed cheerful.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder as he walked out the door and gave Ino a look that made a shiver run down her spine. "What's with him?"

"Who knows?" Sakura rolled her eyes and settled into her bed.

Ino gave a sigh. "You know, despite you trying to kill me and getting in the way of me getting my man, I can't really hate you." She looked over at the girl. "We're still friends right?"

Sakura seemed a bit reluctant but nodded. "Yeah. I guess we are." It was funny to her how she didn't realize what she had, until she almost lost it. "Sorry I was such a jerk."

"Yeah, well. I'm not staying a Genin forever. I'm gonna be your rival again, in love, and ninjutsu." Yamanaka put her hands behind her head and smiled.

"You do that." Sakura smiled a little despite herself.

OooOOooOO

It was mid morning in Konohagakure, and the streets were alive with the usual business of the village. Things were quiet, and the word of the New Hokage was on everyone's lips that day.

Tsunade was sitting back in her chair in her new office. She was now officially the Hokage. The council had gone through it's motions, and she was now stuck there for good.

It wasn't that bad in her mind, but she was still chiding herself for being dumb enough to come back. Shizune was working as her aide, but at the moment, she was off on administrative business. The day's assignments had already been given out, and she had a bit of time to reflect and relax before her afternoon duties started.

Spread out on her desk was a file that she had found a lot more interested than she had thought. "That brat?" She furrowed her brow and tapped her finger as she flipped the page on the tactics manual the academy was using. It was brilliant.

She was beginning to see why Jiraiya had spoken of the boy the way he had. His mission record alone was beyond impressive, but coupled with what she was reading, he was a rare find indeed. She'd had reservations about his being a Jounin in the ANBU at first, despite what she'd seen of him first hand. Now, she was starting to understand Sarutobi's reasoning.

A knock came at the door quiet, but firm.

"Come in."

She blinked as the boy in question walked into her office. He blinked as he noticed what was on her desk, and stiffened up to attention in front of her.

"I was just checking up on your files. I was wondering what Jiraiya saw in you. Impressive, but that just means that you've set the bar pretty high concerning me. I expect a lot from you." The woman closed up what she was reading and stacked the book on top of the folder as she shuffled it together and neat in front of her.

Naruto gave a nod. "I shall do my best to live up to that."

She nodded and smirked. "Good to hear, because you'd better. Being an ANBU isn't exactly light duty. It's a serious responsibility. If you can't live up to it, you'll likely get killed."

He didn't seem bothered by that statement. "I have an...unusual request."

The woman leaned forward and folded her hands in front of her face. "I'm listening."

"I want Yamanaka Ino on Team Seven." He spoke confidently and looked her right in the eye as he said it.

She frowned and sat back. "You're right. That is an unusual request."

"I'm aware that we'll be seeing a new member soon. Ninja teams are four man groups. I'd like to recommend her for the position." Naruto gave a nod.

Tsunade leaned forward. "Why?"

The boy cocked his head. "She's already been trained to work with my team. Everything Sakura learned since the exams, she knows. That includes Rasengan, and what I taught her."

The woman cocked her head. "What did you teach her?"

The boy arched his eyebrow. "How to move and fight without chakra. It is essential to our tactics. Team seven is a specialist team. We can take any mission, but our primary tactics focus on stealth first and foremost. If you refuse my request, I will make due with whoever you assign. It would make things easier for me, as I would only need to teach Sasuke. It will be less difficult if I am able to focus on him alone in this regard. I'll also have to teach any new members how to create Kage Bunshin, everyone on our team should be able to create at least one. Ino already knows how."

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. "I see. Have you asked her about this?"

He shook his head. "No. However, that girl will jump on a chance to work with Sasuke like a starving chipmunk on the last acorn on the planet."

Tsunade nodded. "How does he feel about this?"

"It will annoy him. All the better." Naruto didn't seem to think it was very funny and was quite serious. "Not to mention it will greatly irritate Sakura, especially if she's not around. I am very hopeful that you will approve."

Tsunade's lips curled up. "You make a good case."

The boy nodded. "Thank you. Might I ask about Sakura's replacement?"

The woman arched her eyebrow. "Replacement?"

"She is to be your apprentice. I take it to mean that she won't be training with us to enter the ANBU." He seemed very serious and formal.

The woman shook her head. "No. Every ninja team has a medic. She will be Team Seven's medic. I am capable of giving her the necessary training. She won't be going through formal ANBU training with you, but there is no need to replace her."

He nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. She would have been hard to replace."

Tsunade leaned back and seemed to think. "Yamanaka Ino is just a Genin. You expect me to put her into ANBU training with you?"

The boy nodded. "The chance to work with Uchiha will motivate her more than you think."

"Still, she's not qualified. Convince me." The woman gave him a cool gaze.

Naruto didn't miss a beat. "When are the next exams?"

"In six months."

"Heh, she'll be ready to pass them after only three months with me. More than enough time." He seemed very confident and had a somewhat unpleasant glint in his eye. "With that much time, I can guarantee she won't fail the exams."

Tsunade almost felt sorry for Ino, almost. "She's yours. Good luck, Uzumaki, you'll need it."

The boy nodded and turned towards the door. "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck." In his mind, the most difficult task he had to deal with, was teaching the Yamanaka girl to shut up. That's not to say there wasn't a bit of fun to be had in such a challenge.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: ANBU Training Begins!


	29. Chapter 29

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto.

Part 29

ANBU training

OooOOooOO

Naruto was leaning against the wall of one of the homes with his head hung. He was in a good mood that day and had a smirk on his face. It was morning, not that early, but the day had only just started for most of the village.

"Good Morning Kakashi-sensei." He turned his head and noticed the man walk up.

"Uzumaki, how are things?" The man turned his head and stopped as he walked by.

The young nin shrugged. "Well enough. I'm here on business. You?"

The man nodded. "I see. I hear you're starting ANBU training in a few days."

Naruto ignored the lack of information from his former teacher. He wasn't expecting an answer to begin with. "Yes. We start in two days."

The gray haired nin seemed pleased. "Good luck with that. It's difficult."

The boy gave a nod. "Yes. I'd heard. I'm looking forward to it."

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, I hope you can keep up that attitude. I hear you'll be working with Mitarashi Anko. She's...got a bit of a reputation as an instructor."

Naruto nodded. "We've met. I don't know much about her. She seems very...loud."

The older nin nodded. "That she is. She's also a bit of a sadist. She's only been an instructor for a few years. She's not a field person, but works as an instructor and liaison for the ANBU. Once you finish training, you'll be getting the bulk of your assignments from her."

The hooded nin cocked his head and scratched at his scarf over his chin. "Really? I thought we worked for the Hokage directly?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, she handles the assignments for the village. You answer to her, and you'll be working for her directly at times. However, ANBU don't usually go to her office for assignments like regular nin. They get them from the ANBU offices through a liaison." He slapped the boy on his shoulder. "You'll catch on quick. I'm sure it will be covered in your training."

Naruto gave a nod. "Well, I'll have my hands full. I've got some training to do with Sasuke, and...well..." He looked at the door he was standing near.

Kakashi arched his eyebrow. "Yes. I'd heard that Sakura will be training with the Hokage as team medic. She's very fortunate, training of that level isn't easy to come by. The Fifth is one of the Legendary Three and her medical skills are second to none."

The boy nodded. "Yeah. She'll do well. I've got to catch Sasuke up. I did some training with her while we were away. Plus, we'll be dealing with the ANBU training."

The former Jounin of Team Seven gave a pleased looking nod. "Well, if anyone can handle it, I suppose it would be you. Be careful, don't overdo it. ANBU training is the most difficult and dangerous you've yet faced. The Chunin exams were nothing compared to it."

"I'll remember that." Naruto seemed pleased.

"Naruto, Kakashi." Iruka walked up and smiled at the pair.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei." The boy greeted him.

The man flushed and scratched the back of his head. "You shouldn't call me that. You outrank me now. Just Iruka is fine."

Kakashi turned to walk away. "Well, I'll leave you two to talk. I've got business of my own to see to." He waved and seemed cheerful as he moved off.

Iruka gave him a polite wave in return. He turned towards his former student. "I haven't had the time to congratulate you and wish you luck. You're to start training in the ANBU soon. I probably won't see much of you."

The boy cocked his head. "Huh? I'll be around. I'll drop by to see you when I can."

His former instructor smiled. "Yes. I appreciate it. I feel I should warn you, that won't likely be very often."

The boy seemed to think on it. "Why not? I'll still be in Konoha."

Iruka seemed a little surprised. "Well, yes. I'm sure I'll see you again. I don't know much about the ANBU."

Naruto seemed to think on it. "Neither do I to be honest. I don't think I've ever really talked to one. I've seen them, but I've never really met one. I know Kakashi-sensei used to be one, but he doesn't talk about it much."

Iruka gave a small nod. "Yes. That's exactly what I mean. Regular nin don't interact with them much. As an ANBU Jounin, you'll outrank most of the village. I know a few former ANBU, but none of them speak much of it. I never really asked, but I don't think it's just because they don't want to."

Naruto seemed a little surprised. "Huh. Never thought much about it. You're right though." He knew that he would be dealing with missions and duties that were of a sensitive nature. It had never occurred to him that he'd had no real interaction with any active ANBU. He didn't not know it, but it hadn't come up before and he'd not bothered with considering it.

The man shook the boy's shoulder and gave him a wistful smile. "I have to admit. I'm proud of you."

The boy got a little light headed and his chest became a little tight. He felt his eyes grow a little more wet, but kept his emotions in check. "Thanks, Iruka." It felt weird to say his name without the title.

The door nearby opened and Naruto's head turned. "Hey. It's nice to see you, but I've got to go now. I'm afraid I'm here on business."

The man nodded and walked off. "Right. I won't keep you. Good luck, and congratulations."

Yamanaka Ino closed the door to her home and pushed her bangs out of her face with a cheerful grin. Her smile faltered a bit as she noticed the boy outside her home. "Huh? Uzumaki?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I need to talk with you."

Ino turned a little pink. "Huh? Look, it's not that I don't like you or anything. I mean, you're not bad looking or anything. I already like someone, and well, you're kind of a perv..."

The boy gave a small sigh and hung his head. "I'm not asking you out."

The girl seemed to relax a little more. "Huh? Oh." She shook her head. "Sorry, I can't talk. I'm supposed to meet Choji and Shikamaru and get with Asuma-sensei. It irritates Asuma-sensei when I'm late, and we've got to pick up a mission assignment today."

Naruto looked at her with a smirk on his face that made her uncomfortable. She couldn't see his lips because of his scarf, but his eyes made it clear enough. "Not today."

She frowned at him. "Hey. Look, I mean it, I don't have time..."

Naruto gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "I'm here as a Jounin. I'm afraid this is an order."

The girl closed her mouth and sucked in a quick breath. She hung her shoulders and drooped her head a little. "Fine. What is it?"

The boy turned away. "Just come with me."

The girl nodded. "If Asuma-sensei is cross with me, I'm blaming you."

The man walked up to the conversation and glanced down at the hooded nin. "Don't worry. I won't be."

Ino looked surprised and blinked.

Naruto seemed pleased to see him. "Oh. Hello."

He frowned at the boy, but didn't seem upset. "I just found out a short time ago."

Ino backed away a little. "What's going on?"

Asuma glanced at her with a neutral expression. "You're being transferred."

She choked and got wide eyed. "T-transferred?"

Naruto glanced at her and nodded. "That's right. Effective immediately, you're a member of Team Seven."

She glowered at him and frowned. "What? No way! You can't..."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei isn't the Jounin of Team Seven anymore. It's me now. You'll be working with Sakura, myself, and... Sasuke." The boy crossed his arms and got a rather cocky expression on her face.

Ino was frozen. "..." She shook herself out of it and got a wide eyed, but not displeased expression. "R-really?"

Asuma gave a nod and looked quite serious. "That's correct. The Hokage informed me this morning." He looked at Naruto. "I'm not upset, but I am left wondering why you requested it."

Naruto looked up at him. "I think I can make use of all the things she learned while she was stuck in Sakura's head. She was the best candidate, she knows our operations and has training in techniques that will make her useful. I've just got to teach her how to put what she's learned to practical use."

The girl looked at him with wide eyes. "Well...I guess. I'll be with Sasuke on your team?"

Asuma rolled his eyes. "I see."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yes. She'll be easy to motivate."

The man sighed and slapped her shoulder. "Good luck. You'll be starting ANBU training in two days. Make sure you say goodbye to Shikamaru and Choji, you won't be seeing them for a while." He turned and walked away, lighting a cigarette as he did.

Naruto watched him leave. "I hope he's not upset or anything." Not that it mattered much if he was. He didn't want to step on the man's toes, and had a feeling he had a little. Still, it was a bit late to worry about it. "Come on."

Ino had frozen up again. "Wait. ANBU?"

Uzumaki looked at her over his shoulder. "That's right. We start in the morning the day after tomorrow." He motioned for her to follow. "Come on, we've got to get your uniform."

The girl stumbled after him. "I'm not even a Chunin! How am I supposed to..."

He looked back at her again with another grin that made her uncomfortable. She still couldn't see it in anything more than his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm supposed to take care of that too. You'll be fine."

She didn't look comforted by that. "I'm not so sure I like the way that sounds."

The boy shrugged. "Well, Sasuke and I are training to be in the ANBU in two days. I suppose you could refuse, but how often do you think you'll see him once we become ANBU?"

She scowled at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He chuckled. "How many ANBU do you know? How often do you see them? Have you ever worked with one? Do you ever talk to them?"

The girl worked her mouth and thought about it as she walked behind him. "Well...none."

"Right. Well, what makes you think it will be any different with Sasuke? Back out now, and Sakura will have him all to herself, won't she?" Naruto was quite pleased with her reaction to that. "Not much chance you'll see much of him at all once we're in the ANBU, assuming you're not there. I suppose I could find someone else..."

Ino gasped and clenched her fists. "No way!"

The boy put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky. "You know, Sakura is training with the Fifth to be the medic on our team. She won't be training with us. It'll just be you and me...and Sasuke."

Yamanaka's eyes became very wide and she lifted her head. "Just me...and Sasuke?"

Naruto knew he had her the moment he spoke Sasuke's name. "Come on. If you're going to come along, you need to be fitted for your uniform before we leave. You can take the next couple of days off and say goodbye to your friends. You won't be seeing them for a while once we leave."

That gave Ino a moment of pause, but she followed after him. "No way I'm gonna let that brat beat me."

Uzumaki was pleased, a little competition wouldn't hurt. Besides, there was nothing he could think of that would annoy Sasuke more. "It'll be fun." That seemed to relax Ino a little. "For me," he amended to himself.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was still in a good mood.

Sasuke was glowering at him. "You're kidding." They were standing next to targets that were filled with kunai and shuriken. It was a small grove of trees near the edge of the practice field.

The hooded nin shook his head. "Afraid not. Yamanaka Ino is the newest member of Team Seven."

The raven haired boy gave him an irate looking frown. "Why do I get the feeling that this was your idea?"

The blond nodded. "Yes. It was. I'm sure it will annoy you, but that's not really why I did it. Just a fortunate side effect."

Uchiha chucked another kunai into the target. "You're a rotten evil bastard."

The Jounin looked pleased. "Thank you, but you forgot sneaky. I'm a sneaky rotten evil bastard."

Sasuke relaxed and glared at the target. "So, why her?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, she'll be easy to motivate, she's already partially trained thanks to that mess after the exams, and she's not bad on the eyes. You two should hook up or something."

Uchiha glanced over at him and squatted down with his hands resting on his knees. "I hate you."

Naruto chuckled at that. "Well, get some rest and don't wear yourself out kicking that tree. We need to be ready for ANBU training. I'm not sure what it will involve, and we should be prepared for anything. I've heard about Mitarashi, and she's got something of a reputation."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Been talking to Kakashi-sensei?"

Uzumaki nodded. "Yeah. She's dating a friend of mine as well. He's had trouble sitting down lately."

The Chunin grunted. "More information than I needed."

Naruto started walking away. "Well, I'll leave you to beat up trees. Have fun. Just thought I'd warn you."

Sasuke gave a rough snort. "Yeah. Thanks." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was in his robe with his pajama pants and was holding an unlit pipe as he answered his door. "Oh. Hi."

Shikamaru and Choji were standing in his doorway. They both had their arms crossed and had frowns on their faces. Nara spoke up. "Uzumaki."

The blond nin wasn't wearing his hood or his mask. "Come on in."

Choji glared at him. "What's this about Ino being on your team?"

Naruto blinked and sat down at the table. The two boys took seats across from him, neither looked very pleased. "Yeah. She's on Team Seven now. We needed another team member, and she's got the job."

Shikamaru sat back, he was more relaxed than Choji. "She said it was your idea."

The blond nodded as Masara set out tea for them. "Yeah. It's got to do with some of the things she learned while we were away. It seems when I trained with Sakura, Ino was trained with her. That made her the best candidate for the job."

Nara clicked his tongue. "So you just stole her?"

Naruto blinked. "Not really. She could have refused. I had to get the Hokage's approval also. It isn't like I forced her."

Choji seemed to relax. "Great. First Shikamaru gets promoted, now this."

The black haired boy glanced at him. "Hey. Don't be like that. You'll be fine. You're not going to stay a Genin forever you know."

Naruto gave a small sigh. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. There wasn't a better choice."

Shikamaru nodded. "You'd better take care of her."

Choji slammed his hands on the table. "That's right. I'll make you regret it if you don't."

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry. She's in good hands."

The large boy turned his eyes away. "She'll be fine then."

Uzumaki shook his head. "Well, I wouldn't say that. She's going to be an ANBU, and has to start training with us the day after tomorrow. I'm afraid I'm going to have to work her into the ground and force her to study. I'll also have to teach her how to shut up. I'm pretty sure she won't enjoy it, but she won't die or anything."

The pair looked at him with wide eyes. Choji balled up his fists, but after a moment, Shikamaru burst into laughter.

His pudgy companion looked at him with a somewhat dumb expression. "Hey! What's so funny?"

Nara slowed to a chuckle and wiped his eyes. "Well, I see you know what you're getting into. Good luck with getting her to shut up. I never could."

Naruto grinned at the pair. "Don't worry. I have ways of motivating her. She'll be a different ninja when you see her again."

Choji didn't like the way that sounded and it showed. "Hey. You'd better not hurt her."

Shikamaru put his hand on his friend's shoulder and shook his head. "Don't worry. Just relax."

The blond boy leaned back. "She'll live. I'm not sure how much of her you'll be seeing in the future though. She's going to be an ANBU, and I've got to get her ready for the next Chunin exams." Kitsuma hopped into his father's lap and settled to look at the pair across from him. He looked quite content and had his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and a relaxed posture.

Koruma walked up and smiled at Naruto and the kit. "Boss, it's time for the Prince to take his nap."

The kit made a small half growl and looked up at him. The blond smiled at him and scratched his head. "Go on. You need rest so you'll grow up big and strong."

The kit licked at his chin and hopped down with a little reluctance. He scampered away into the back room and closed the door.

Shikamaru seemed to enjoy watching the scene and was a little amused. "He's getting bigger."

Choji nodded. "Yeah. He is." He was having trouble looking away from the kitsune's chest, but succeeded for the most part.

Naruto looked back towards the door with a grin on his face. "Isn't he though?" Kira was behind him and rubbing on his shoulders.

Nara popped his neck. "You want to have a match while we're here?"

Uzumaki nodded. "Sure thing. I'll grab the board."

Choji's eyes drooped half closed. "Great. Boring."

Koruma had the board in her hands. Well, his hands, but Choji and Shikamaru didn't know that. She set it up over near the bed between the couch and a cot.

Kira grinned at the two boys and pushed her chest on the back of the blond's head. Naruto looked up at her for a moment and back towards the pair. "Hey. You two guys want a massage? The kitsune are really good at it. We can relax while we play."

Shikamaru rubbed at his neck, and Choji turned red and got a bit wide eyed. "I guess I'm a bit stiff," said Nara.

The tubby boy almost choked as he looked back at his companion. "I-I guess. If they don't mind." He poked his fingers together.

Masara moved up to rub the back of his neck. "Oh. We don't mind at all."

Koruma took Nara by the hand and the boy flushed a little. "It's no trouble right?"

The redhead sat him down on the couch and slid up beside him. "Any friend of the Boss's is a friend of ours."

Choji was wide eyed and red as he found himself on the bed with the green haired kitsune coaxing him to lie down. "It's no trouble at all."

OooOOooOO

Choji was standing next to Shikamaru. They were in the road and looking down the path to their homes. Neither of them was moving and both looked rather vacant as they stared off into space.

Choji spoke up first. "I-I never thought that would happen to me."

Shikamaru nodded.

The large boy didn't move and cocked his head as he crossed his arms.

His companion did the same. "You know. That wasn't bad."

The tubby nin nodded. "It was awesome."

Nara nodded. "You know, I never really got what Dad was talking about before."

Choji furrowed his eyebrows. "Huh?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Nothing. I guess, girl's aren't so bad."

The tubby boy gave a vacant nod. "T-titties. I got to see..."

Nara thought on that. "Yeah. I never understood why other guys were so...into them...before."

Choji started munching on a bag of chips. "Hey. Are we men now? Dad always said something about that. I'm not sure if that's what he meant, or if it was something else."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I dunno. I don't think I'll ever be able to think about girls the way I did before. That thing...with the tongue...and the lips..." He shuddered as he thought about it.

The large boy gave a nod. "I'll say. I wonder why they called it a 'Happy Ending'?"

Nara cocked his head and looked up at the sky. "I was pretty happy by the time it ended."

His companion stuffed his mouth with a few chips. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

Nara frowned and scratched the side of his head. He never thought he'd be thinking about any girl's lips so much. He never thought about something like that as something he'd consider 'hot'. The young nin had always figured he'd probably end up liking breasts considering how other boys talked about them so much. Lips was something of a surprise to him.

"Hey. What's with you guys?"

The two boys turned and noticed Kiba standing behind them with his hands in his pockets. Akamaru was in his usual place on his head, and the dog was sniffing at the air.

Shikamaru glanced back at him and frowned. "Nothing much, we just came from Uzumaki's place. What are you up to?"

Shino moved up to the scene from around a nearby corner with Hinata moving up behind him. "We just got back from the days mission."

"Yeah. We had to travel with some merchant, and nothing happened at all. It was real boring." Akamaru nodded and looked a little suspicious. Both of the boys he'd run into looked a bit zoned out. "Uzumaki?"

"I think he ate their souls," Hinata hid behind Shino.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Our souls are fine."

Choji seemed to think on that. "Are you sure?"

His friend cocked his head. "Pretty sure."

Shino gave a small sigh. "He's not a monster, Hinata."

She gave a small pout and blushed. "You haven't seen..."

Shikamaru looked at her, and found his eyes wandering towards her pout. He shifted his eyes away by force. She wasn't bad looking, even if she was a bit quiet and kind of standoffish. Not that he was interested, but he found her cuter than he'd had before. Her lips were very full and pouty, and it was distracting him a little when he looked at her.

Kiba gave a small grunt. "Well, I'm going home. I've got to feed Akamaru, and I'm hungry myself."

Shikamaru turned towards Choji. "Come on. We should get home ourselves. It's getting late."

Hinata looked towards Naruto's home and shuddered. She avoided it when she could. She'd seen strange things nearby. Glowing blue flames floating about in the shadows and light sensitive eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness passing to and from it into the trees and brush. "Y-yeah. A-away from here." Naruto was definitely a dark spirit and an evil dark air hung about his abode. There was little doubt in her mind that he was lurking about in the darkness nearby, waiting and watching for the chance to pounce on an innocent victim and eat them alive.

Shino gave a small sigh and shook his head. "You're imagining things again aren't you?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and held her shoulders. "I'm not. He's not human, he looks dead and soulless." The pair moved off after Kiba towards their homes in the village.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke frowned as he looked around. He was standing above the village overlooking it on the edge of the cliff with the faces of the former Hokage. It was spread out before him and the people in the streets were tiny dots moving about between the buildings. "This is the place."

Yamanaka Ino was right beside him. "Hey. It's so romantic up here!" Both of them were wearing their ANBU uniforms and had their masks on their belts. Ino had a pig mask, and Sasuke had the face of a tiger hanging off the side of his waist. "Sasuke...we're all alone..." Naruto was late, but she didn't mind much.

The black haired boy sidestepped away as she tried to put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't be stupid. Naruto is never late, you just don't know where to look." He jerked his thumb up.

The girl blinked at that and looked. Naruto looked like he was sleeping on the branch of a tree, well hidden from anyone who wasn't close to underneath him by the leaves. His head was hanging, and his arms were crossed. "He's sleeping?"

Sasuke almost smiled. "No, he just looks like he is. You'd better learn quick, just because you can't see him, doesn't mean he's not around."

She tossed her hair. "What difference does it make if he's there or not?"

Ino almost jumped out of her skin as the hooded nin spoke up from right next to her. "Just because you can see me, doesn't mean that's really where I'm at." He seemed amused at her reaction.

She jabbed her finger at him. "Don't do that!"

Sasuke gave a snorting half laugh. "You'll get used to it. Hey, are we sure this is the right place? This Anko woman is late."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah. We're supposed to meet her here."

Almost in answer to that a cloud of smoke appeared behind the trio. "Hey! Pay attention!" The group turned as Mitarashi stepped out of her smoke bomb with a grin on her face. "Listen up! I am Mitarashi Anko, and as of today, you call me Anko-sensei!"

The trio just looked at her.

She frowned and pointed at them. "What was that? I didn't hear anything!"

"Yes, Anko-sensei." The group didn't look all that enthusiastic.

Ino was bent over the woman's knee a moment later and both boys stepped back.

"I still didn't hear anything." She glared at them all.

"Yes, Anko-sensei!" the group said quite a bit louder. Ino couldn't shout, but the strike hadn't been that hard. She'd felt it, but it wasn't powerful enough to knock the wind out of her. The girl rubbed at it and looked irate.

"You scrubs better listen up! You're not nin anymore! As of right now, you're nothing, your rank means nothing, your training means nothing! You're all less than Genin, less than students at the academy! You can forget about all the training you've had before!" She waved her arm and gave them a wild looking grin. "You're mine, and I can do what I want with you. I'm not on your team, I'm not one of those wussy feel good instructors at the academy. I can and will beat the living shit out of you whenever the hell I feel like you deserve it."

Ino was a bit wide eyed, Sasuke and Naruto both looked calm and collected.

Anko seemed to calm a little and paced in front of them. "You will be tortured, you will be pushed to the limits you didn't even know you had. There is no guarantee that you will survive." She moved up in front of them. "Give me your masks."

The trio handed them over without a second thought. Ino's hand was shaking a little. Anko noticed it and smirked a little as she took it away. She leveled her eyes on Naruto and Sasuke. "You two butt cheeks don't look scared."

Sasuke grunted. "There's nothing you've got, I can't handle, Anko-sensei."

Naruto's brain was running a mantra of 'don't antagonize her'. It stopped and changed to a single utterance of 'shit' as soon as Sasuke opened his mouth.

Uchiha was on his knees in front of the woman after she slugged him in the gut.

"Sasuke!" Ino almost moved, but the hooded nin beside her put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

Anko chuckled as she noticed Naruto. "What about you? Nothing to say?"

He didn't seem bothered and shook his head. "Nothing comes to mind, Anko-sensei."

"Good, because you don't deserve to talk, you don't have opinions, and you are all my personal property." The woman gave him a dangerous looking grin. "Don't think I don't know about you, Uzumaki. You're not going to slide through this the way you did with the Chunin exams." She backhanded him across his face and he landed on his back. "You're not permitted to do anything without my say so. Welcome to the first day of hell on Earth. I'd better be able to see you whenever I'm around."

He stood up and nodded. "Understood, Anko-sensei." He still looked calm and cool.

"You don't get to have these masks. You haven't earned them, and you're lucky I'm not taking your clothes. If you piss me off, I will." The woman turned and took a few paces before turning back to face them. "You are the lowest form of life in the village right now. An ANBU trainee's life is less than worthless. You've got to make it worth my time to not kill you."

Ino gave another small gasp.

Sasuke glanced at her. "Calm down. You're only going to make it worse shaking like that." He was hanging over the edge of the cliff a moment later in Anko's grip by his throat. He struggled to gasp as his feet hung off the edge as he dangled and gripped her forearm with his eyes squeezed shut.

"Did I say you could speak?" She tossed him back over her shoulder and he rolled across the ground.

The boy glared at her behind her back as she stood on the edge of the cliff and balled up his fist. Naruto looked over at him and gave a slight shake of his head. He growled, but relaxed his fist.

"I'm going to break you. Then I'm going to build you back the way I think you should be. That's my job. You can all forget about the academy, you can forget about your missions, you can forget about your rank, and you can forget about your lives. You belong to the ANBU. There is nothing else. As of right now, your loyalties are the ANBU, Hokage, Konohagakure, and Fire Country. In that order."

Ino glanced at Sasuke and swallowed. "I'm not so sure I can handle this."

Anko smirked at her. "That's too bad. Because if you can't, you're just going to die. When you put on that uniform, you passed the point of no return." She walked up and put her nose in the young girl's face. "There is no quitting, there is no escape, there is no path but forward. You eat when I tell you, you sleep when I allow it, you shit and piss when I give you permission, you rest when I permit it, and you aren't even allowed to die until I say you can. You don't have a choice, and it is well within my power to make you. Is that understood?"

Yamanaka swallowed hard and nodded. "Y-yes, Anko-sensei."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "You don't sound sure of that. You'd better make sure I can hear you."

"Yes, Anko-sensei!" She blustered as she nodded.

The woman stood up straight and smirked at them. "Good. All of you had better remember that. You're going to hate my guts, but you will respect me. I promise you that."

Anko walked over and picked up a large burlap bag from the ground where her smoke bomb had gone off. She turned and held it open. "First thing's first. All of your weapons, into the bag. Every last one."

The trio was disarmed a few moments later, and she drew the strings at the top and closed it. "Good. You'll get them back when I feel like you've earned them." Mitarashi swung it over her shoulder. "Now, follow me, and don't ask questions." She started walking and moved into the tree line.

OooOOooOO

"Where are we?" Ino was dirty, tired, and struggling to keep on her feet. They were moving over rough wooded terrain on a small path in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a large forest.

"Shut up." Sasuke looked to be in the same condition.

Naruto was with them in plain sight. He didn't look any better, but seemed to be a bit less worn on the whole. "We've been following her for two days now. She's the only one who knows where we're going, and I'm not about to ask her."

Anko was about ten yards ahead of them, and they were well outside Konoha.

Sasuke nodded towards a nearby mountain. They were deep in the rough and seemed to be moving towards it. "I think we're going to that mountain."

"I'm starving. We didn't bring any supplies." Yamanaka's stomach growled a little and she gasped. "This sucks."

Anko glared at them over her shoulder. "Did I say you could talk?"

The trio quieted down and continued to trudge after her in silent misery.

OooOOooOO

The next day, they were all standing on the very base of the mountain. Orange and brown leaves covered the ground, and the air was chilled and damp.

Anko had lead them to a small clearing in the forest that went halfway up the huge peak. The top was covered in snow and barren stone with steep cliffs and a sharp incline. The group was sitting on boulders and resting. They had been traveling in relative silence for three days, and had gotten a total of about eight hours of sleep. They had been led to the extreme north of Fire Country, where the winters were the harshest, but it was early fall.

The woman stood up and grinned as she looked at the three worn out nin in her charge. "Listen up!"

Team Seven's heads all whipped around to look at her. They looked miserable and tired, but alert.

Anko put her hand on her hip. She didn't look bothered by the trip they had taken, and didn't look all that dirty. "Welcome to the first of several hells you will encounter." She sat down and leaned forward a bit. "You're going to be here for the next two weeks. The nearest town is four days away, you've got no supplies, no weapons, and you're not allowed to take a single step off the mountain until then."

Ino looked wide eyed, Sasuke growled, and Naruto just gave a nod.

"Pay attention. On the other side of this mountain, is a rock like this one." She held up a small drawing of a pillar of stone with a hole in the top of it. "In exactly two weeks from tomorrow morning, you need to be there." She folded it up and put it in her pocket. "You start moving to it in the morning if you want. I don't care. You're still not permitted off the mountain until your time is up, so there's no hurry. Oh, and one more thing." She looked quite pleased. "You need to get there by going over the peak of the mountain."

The trio looked up towards the mountain top, and back towards her with varying expressions of irritation and alarm. Even Naruto looked less than pleased.

Anko continued. "In one week, there will be three kunai knives on the peak. Don't bother with trying to get them before then, they won't be there. You'll need to retrieve them as proof that you've made the climb. You're only permitted to take one for yourself. You can't retrieve them for anyone else."

Naruto glanced at the pair with him and then back at their tormentor. Neither one of them noticed it, and they wouldn't have liked the look in his eyes if they had. It was almost too perfect.

Anko turned away from them and started walking away from the mountain. "Maybe, I'll see you again in two weeks, if you survive. You're on your own."

The trio watched her move off and sat in silence.

Ino whimpered as she rubbed at her legs. "Is she gone yet?"

Naruto gave a nod. "Seems like it."

"Great." Sasuke flopped back on his boulder. "This is almost too easy."

Uzumaki gave a nod. "Don't count on that."

Ino looked shocked. "Easy? Are you kidding? What are we going to do? We've got no supplies, no weapons, no tents or even sleeping bags, and no change of clothes! How are we going to stay here for two weeks? We'll starve to death!"

The blond nin shook his head. "We'll be fine. We've got a source of water, though it won't be easy to get to." He pointed towards the mountain peak at the snow. "We'll have to hunt for food, I can handle that for tonight, but you two are going to pull your weight too. I'm not feeding us for every meal we get for the next two weeks."

Sasuke gave a snort. "At least we have a woman to do the cooking."

Yamanaka looked over at him and gave a sweet looking smile. "I'll cook for you for the rest of your life."

Uchiha tensed up and looked uncomfortable. Sakura would have been annoyed, but she was smiling at him.

Naruto gave a small sigh. "Well, our first order of business is to find a place to set up camp and stay dry if it rains. We might have to build a shelter, but we can make due."

Ino nodded and seemed to be feeling better. Neither of the boys seemed worried. "So, you guys have done this sort of thing before?"

"I've never been stuck in the woods with no equipment before." Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing I can't handle though."

"I have. A couple of times," They both glanced over at Naruto. "Never for this long though. I spent a week living like this in the woods outside Konoha during the academy break a couple of times. We'll be fine. We're going to have to do some hunting, and we'll probably have to climb and get to that snow for water. We'll live, but it's going to be a lot of work, and we're not going to be sitting around relaxing. First we meet our needs, then we train. We've got plenty to keep us busy until we meet Anko-sensei again."

Ino looked irate. "That evil witch. My feet are killing me." She rubbed at her calves.

Sasuke nodded. "You said it. I'm sick of asking if I can pee."

Uzumaki gave a small shrug. "Well, we don't have to worry about her again for a couple of weeks. I'll see if I can catch us dinner." He pointed towards the ground nearby. "There's deer here, and I'm betting we can catch a few rabbits."

Ino gave a small frown. "I've heard there's bears in these mountains, and mountain lions." She looked towards Sasuke. "You'll protect me, won't you?"

The boy put his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. It was starting to get dark. "Not a chance."

Her face fell and she put her nose up. "What? Why not? I'm on your team aren't I?"

Naruto gave a small chuckle at the scene. "Hey. We're not going to let you die. Don't worry. Besides, by the time I'm through, you won't need him to protect you."

She looked annoyed. "You? What do you mean?"

Naruto gave them both an evil looking smirk. "You're both still under my thumb you know. My rank might not mean anything to Anko-sensei, but to you two, I'm still a Jounin. Maybe I technically don't have any authority over you because we're in training, but don't forget who will be in charge once we're finished. You can listen to me now, or I'll just make you do it anyway later on." He gave a small mocking sigh and leveled his eyes at them. "I'll go easier on you if we take care of it now, but sooner or later, I'll get my way."

Sasuke sat up and looked over at him. Ino worked her jaw as she did the same thing. The Uchiha boy narrowed his eyes. "What are you planning?"

Naruto was drawing on the dirt with a stick. "I've got plenty to keep us busy. We won't be wasting any time."

Ino looked less than pleased. "This is going to hurt, isn't it?"

"Definitely. I'm afraid you don't have a choice though. Part of the deal with you being on this team is that I have to make sure you pass the Chunin exams." Naruto stood up and dusted off his hands. "You'll live. I'm gonna go catch dinner. You two see about building us a fire. We've got a lot to do tomorrow, so we should eat and get as much sleep as we can." He took a few steps back and seemed to vanish into the shadows.

The kunoichi looked a bit worried about what Naruto had just told her. "Pass the exams?"

"What are you worried about? After this, those exams will be nothing." Sasuke glanced at Ino. "I guess I've got first watch then. You go ahead and gather some wood for the fire. I'll set up the fire pit here."

She nodded and staggered away, grunting a little as her stiff joints ached as she moved them again. "What have I gotten into?" She whimpered a bit and started collecting sticks from the ground. She looked back over her shoulder at Sasuke, he was clearing off a space and making a circle of stones. "No way I'm gonna give up and let her win. Sasuke will be mine." She narrowed her eyes and balled up her fist as she steeled herself. "For love! I won't fail!"

The boy sneezed, and felt a chill run down his spine. He looked around and frowned. "Huh. I've got a bad feeling all of a sudden."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Two weeks on the Mountain.


	30. Chapter 30

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 30

Two weeks on the mountain, and beyond...

OooOOooOO

"...I like ice cream, strawberry is my favorite. What's your favorite ice cream, Sasuke? When I get home, I'm going to buy a huge bowl! I can't wait! I'll treat you, Sasuke! It'll be fun, just the two of us. That brat Sakura can buy her own. She likes chocolate. I do too I suppose, but I'll get you any flavor you want."

Sasuke growled as he sat up and put his elbows to his knees. He was covered in sweat and grunting in effort. "I hate sweets."

Ino kept going. "Oh? Really? Well, I suppose we can go somewhere else. Do you like beef, pork, or chicken more? I know a great place that..."

Sasuke's eyes were bloodshot, they'd been there for three days, and his clone didn't have it any better. Ino's clone was telling him about a cute outfit that she would show him when they got back. "Shut up."

He heard his clone speak to the other her nearby. "Do you ever shut the hell up? I don't care!"

"This kind of hurts, but I remember when Sakura did it, it's much faster than when we started doing this at the academy. It's not so bad...OOF!"

Sasuke paused as the girl went silent. He pulled his arms off the back of his head and looked over.

Naruto was pinning her face to the ground with his foot shoved into her cheek. "Ino. Shut the hell up."

The girl gasped and rolled away as he pulled his foot off. "What? What are you doi..." She froze, there was a crude sharpened stone knife against her throat.

The hooded nin had a dark and serious glare in his eyes as he glared into her stare as he pinned her down. "If you don't shut your mouth right now, I'm going to cut out your tongue. Understand?"

She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded as she rubbed on her cheek as he backed off her. "I'm...sorry."

Naruto tossed the crude blade into the ground between them. "Yes, you are. I'm going to do something about it."

She shuddered and sobbed as she grabbed her arms. "I..."

Sasuke looked on with a cold indifference at the scene and frowned. He didn't say anything and started working again.

Naruto glared down at the crying girl and snorted. "You think I care if I've hurt your feelings? You're lucky you're here instead of dead."

The girl gasped in shock and looked up at him.

"If the Hokage refused to let me have you, I was going to kill you." He crossed his arms and remained cool and even handed. His gaze was cold and hard.

The girl tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't support her and she almost fell on her face. "What do you mean?!"

Naruto had a rather malevolent smirk. "You know too much. You know how we operate, you know our techniques, and you've got a big mouth. It would have been dangerous to let you live for my team. I had two options, bring you in, or kill you. You're lucky I chose to bring you in."

She fumbled in the dirt and backpedaled a bit. "You're not serious!"

The boy's voice was stone cold calm and serious. "Do I look like I'm joking? You need to understand something. You're not going to be able to tell anyone about what you do as an ANBU, you're not going talk about our techniques and tactics, you're not going to be telling your friends about missions and jobs. I'm going to make sure you know better. You will learn to shut your mouth." He pulled his scarf off his face and sat down on a nearby boulder.

The girl was looking at him with a mixture of horror and shock. "I won't. I just..."

The boy shook his head. "Just shut up and listen." He didn't look pleased, but not angry either. "I don't hate you, I didn't want to kill you. I wouldn't have brought you in if I did. You need to understand something though. We don't talk when we train, we don't talk on missions, we aren't friends. This is our job, and we're your fellow nin. We're more than just friends, your life depends on us, and ours will depend on you. The success or failure of our missions will depend on you being able to do your job. We specialize in stealth, and your mouth can give you away."

She seemed to relax, but still looked upset. Tears were falling down her face.

Naruto gave a small sigh and picked up a leaf to pick it apart with his fingers as he spoke. "Look. Your feelings don't mean much to me. It means little if you're upset with me, but that doesn't mean I intend to provoke you on purpose either. Don't give me a reason to and we'll be fine. We are not to be noticed, not to be heard, not to be seen, and are not to leave any sign of our presence. We are shadows, and we do not exist. We are nothing but phantoms that wait unseen in the background. Until the moment we strike, no one must know that we even exist, no one must even consider that we might be there. Once our job is done, we must vanish as soon as it complete. Disappear completely, as if we were never there."

The girl looked at him with an angry looking frown. "I don't exist?"

Uzumaki shook his head. "There is no 'I' in this. 'We', do not exist. You are one of us now and this is a team. You must learn our ways. Back in the village, you can run your mouth as much as you want. When we are relaxed and at ease, away from our duties. So long as you do not speak about what we do, give away our team's secrets, or talk about how we do things, you can talk as much as you want. Your choice of topics is limited, but...you can speak all you want once our training is finished. When we train, when we are on a mission, we speak only when we need to, and no more. You must learn this, or you're just a liability and a danger to us all. You're going to get us all killed. Do you understand?"

The girl lowered her eyes and bit her lip, but nodded. She wiped her eyes as she sniffled a bit and calmed a little more.

The boy put his scarf back over his face and dusted off his hands. "Good. I'm not your friend Ino, I'm your boss. I'll look after you, and help take care of you. We're a team, we rely on each other, we need to be able to count on each other to survive. I don't care about your feelings, I care about making you stronger, making sure you can get through this. I'm not going to allow you to fail, whether you like it or not. You're one of us now, and we look after our own."

The girl hugged her knees and nodded, her face still stinging from his strike. She looked at the stone knife and then back at the dirt between her legs. He'd just told her he'd remove her tongue, and she believed him. She felt shamed, humiliated, weak, and powerless. There was something else there as well, an angry surge of rage, and wounded pride and something more, something stronger, she didn't want to fail, she didn't want to lose.

Naruto stood up and looked between them. "All right. Stand up. It's time we started working on those legs again. Ino, make another clone."

Both of his students stood up and wobbled. Two of Sasuke, and one of Ino, her clone had vanished when Naruto had kicked her. They both staggered and leaned on nearby trees to keep their balance.

The Jounin nodded at this. They were making good progress. It had only been four days, and while Ino had not shut up the entire time despite numerous warnings, they were progressing faster than Sakura had. Their future team medic's clone was focused on other things at the time. Sasuke had already caught up to Ino, and their work was going well. "Good, come on. We've got a long hike ahead of us, and it's uphill the whole way." Once they got to their feet, they were fine and could keep their balance. It had been fun to watch them flop about like babies.

Thinking of that put his mind on other things for a moment, he looked over his shoulder towards Konoha. "I wonder how Kitsuma is doing? He'll be even bigger when I see him again," he thought to himself. It was just a moment though, and he started leading his two students up the side of the mountain.

OooOOooOO

Yamanaka Ino looked up at the sky. Her chest was puffed out a little more, she'd managed to catch dinner that day. She'd beaten herself up doing it, falling over rocks and stumbling about. In the end, she'd managed to surprise a deer from above and tackled it with enough force to break it's neck from a branch above it.

Sasuke was wrapping his hand as he sat in front of a small fire. The group was on the side of the mountain, about half way up under an overhanging boulder formation that gave them a bit of shelter from the light rain falling from the night sky.

Naruto was in the back of the cave and looked to be sleeping against the wall. She knew he wasn't asleep.

"Say, Sasuke. You're always going on about what you don't like. What do you like?" She didn't look at him, and kept her eyes on the moon as it shined down between the clouds above. It was raining, but it was spotty and started and stopped without growing very heavy. The girl was laid out on her back with her hands behind her head at the edge of the cover.

The black haired boy gave a snort. "I don't like much of anything. I only have dislikes."

She scrunched up her nose. "Everyone likes something."

Naruto gave a small sigh and shifted. "Here we go."

"I only care about one thing, revenge, to kill a certain man, and the resurrection of my clan." He poked at the fire with a stick and shifted the embers. "I am an avenger."

Naruto gave a nod. "Well, only patience and training will get you what you want. You've waited this long, there's no hurry."

Uchiha didn't sound upset when he replied. "Yeah. I've realized that. I won't wait forever."

Naruto settled again. "Forever is a long time. You've got a few years before you're ready for that."

Ino frowned and lifted her head to look at them both. "What are you talking about?"

Sasuke continued to stare into the flames. "None of your business. It's not important."

She sounded a little frustrated. "I'm gonna get through that attitude of yours. Just wait. You're gonna need a woman if you want to resurrect your clan, and I'm going to be that woman."

"I doubt it, I hate talking, and listening to girls talk even less."

Naruto gave an amused snort, but didn't speak up again.

She settled back onto the stone again. It wasn't all that comfortable, but she hadn't been in a while anyway. She knew she'd wake up stiff the next morning, but there wasn't anything to be done about it. They only got about four hours of sleep a night, each of them took a watch for two hours. "Well, our kids will be attractive. That will make continuing the line much easier. I'm a total babe, there's no way you're going to resist me forever."

The black haired boy laid back and put his hands behind his head. "I never thought I'd miss Sakura. At least she shuts up."

The girl's head jerked up and she glared at him for a moment. "What? No way! Your kids will all have huge foreheads! They'll never be able to continue the line looking like cavemen!"

Naruto turned his eyes towards her. "Shut up and go to sleep Ino. I've got first watch tonight. I want you both to be strong enough to reach the peak by the end of our first week." He shifted himself to sit upright. "It's going to get rougher, colder, and the air is thinner up there. We won't have an easy time of it."

She looked a bit soured, but flopped down. "I guess. At least it won't be so bad on the way down."

Naruto gave a snort. "It's worse."

Sasuke and Ino looked over at him without sitting up. The girl spoke up. "What do you mean? It's not like we'll be going up hill."

Naruto chuckled at that and gave them a dark smirk. "It's a straight drop. I had a look when I went for water. I didn't reach the top, but had a look around the other side. It's straight down most of the way. Get some rest, we've got a lot of work to do. Both of you are going to do it without chakra, to the top and the whole way down. We don't have ropes or safety lines, so you need to be ready for it. If you fall, we might not be able to catch you, and you will die if you do. This is your new permanent state, you don't need chakra. If you need to use it, you let it out and take what you need before putting it back. I'm not teaching you this as something to be using sometimes, you are to remain like this permanently. Chakra is a weapon, and it should only be drawn when it is needed, and replaced once the job is done."

The girl was wide eyed and worked her mouth. "Huh? You're kidding! No way!"

Sasuke settled. "I doubt it. He doesn't joke about things like that."

Naruto tossed a few more large sticks into the fire from a pile in the corner. "We're going back down to the woods tomorrow. We'll catch some more food, gather a bit more wood, and spend the rest of the day training. This isn't a vacation, and we can't fail. Get some sleep, both of you, you'll need it."

That didn't make Ino feel any better, but despite her apprehension, and the chill in the air, her eyes drooped closed as she looked at the moon as it poked between two clouds.

OooOOooOO

The air was still and thin around Team Seven as they trudged through the snow. It was knee deep and they all had their arms pulled up to their sides as they struggled forward through the thick snow. It was a miserable and silent trip, and all of them were shivering and rubbing on their limbs. Behind them, three more of themselves followed behind looking much the same.

Their breath was short and all of them gasped. The three nin could see their breath, but it was thin and small puffs of vapor despite the extreme cold.

Naruto pointed forward. There was large white covered stone ahead, with three kunai poking up from the center. It was chest high to all of them. Each of the knives had a tag on the end with each of their names on it and an unknown jutsu on the back.

Sasuke looked on as Naruto pulled the one with his name on it out. "Probably something to make sure we get them ourselves."

Ino was looking back down the mountain with a bit of a dazed expression on her face. "We did it."

Sasuke glanced at her. "Yeah. Don't get too excited." He gripped the one with his name and pulled it out.

Ino turned to look at him and frowned. "How bad could it be?" She snatched the one with her name off the stone and looked a little annoyed.

Naruto grinned at her. "Have a look for yourself." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the sudden drop off about ten feet away.

Ino walked over and leaned over the side. "Oh shit." It was a total drop off. The stone was black and jagged and it looked hostile and unforgiving. It went down for thousands of feet and into a forest at the base. There was a slope at the bottom so they wouldn't be off the mountain when they reached it. "What? How are we supposed to get down?" She looked at the two boys in alarm.

Naruto glanced at her. "We climb. Let's get moving. We'll freeze to death if we don't get moving soon." He jabbed his kunai into the ice and hung off the edge, grabbing the cold stone with red and raw hands as he started to descend. He looked up at them while hanging off the ledge. "Get rid of your clones. The fewer of us making the decent the better. Some of the footholds and ledges don't look that stable, and we don't want to have to dodge any more falling debris than we have to."

Sasuke looked at her and then off the side. "You want to go first?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you kidding? How are we supposed to climb down this? We'll be killed!"

He narrowed his eyes. "I can't die yet. I've got something else to do first." He almost jumped off the edge and stabbed his kunai into the ice to prevent his fall as he followed after Naruto.

Ino looked over her shoulder towards what now appeared to be nothing but a gentle slope to her. "Shit! I hate this!" She stabbed her weapon and clumsily slid herself off the edge, barely managing to catch herself on the frozen black stone as she moved after them. "This sucks!"

OooOOooOO

Yamanaka Ino was on her back, gasping for breath, covered in sweat, and looking up at the black wall above her. "We...did it?" She looked surprised. There were several close calls, a few loose footholds, and some crumbling and near death encounters. She had nearly fallen and had managed to catch herself between a crack at one point with her hands and legs.

Naruto and Sasuke were nearby sitting on rocks and looking out over the forest at the base of the mountain. There was still a good bit of mountain ahead of them, but the worst part of the decent was over. What was left was a gentle slope covered in forest.

Naruto looked up. "Well, We're not getting any more water from the snow. I'm not going back up there to retrieve any more."

Sasuke nodded and took a mouthful from his canteen, it was the only thing Anko hadn't collected from them. They also had a few hollowed out gourds of water taken from the trees on the other side of the mountain. "We need to ration what we have then. There might not be another source."

Naruto looked at the sky. "We'll have to collect a few more gourds and see about catching some rain then. It looks like we might have some more later. Those clouds look promising." He pointed ahead over the forest at a mass of gray forming in the sky. It looked to be moving towards them.

Ino frowned as she sat up. "Great. Rain."

Sasuke nodded and looked like he agreed, a little. He was wrapping his hand in a dirty cloth to cover up where he'd gotten cut by some of the sharper edges on the decent. "We might need it. I'd rather be miserable and wet tonight than die of thirst later."

Naruto was looking over a scar on his calf. It wasn't deep or bad, but it had ripped the leg on his uniform. "We've got enough now I think. Still, more won't hurt us. We might need it."

Ino gave a small sigh. "At least the worst is over, I hope."

OooOOooOO

Ino stepped out of the woods with a gutted deer over her shoulders. She didn't make a sound in her approach and dropped it onto the ground between the two boys. Neither of them were startled or surprised. "Dinner should be soon." She winked at Sasuke and took the canteen offered by Naruto. The blond knocked her head back and took a few gulps before handing it back.

"A last meal." Sasuke poked at the fire and looked over the clouds. The moon was shining down on them through the hole of the pillar of stone a few yards away from their camp. "We leave here tomorrow."

Naruto gave a nod. "So we do."

Ino was working on skinning the animal, there was already a set up to cook it waiting with two sticks and a skewer over the fire. She glanced at Naruto and frowned. "I never thought I'd miss Anko-sensei, but after two weeks alone with you, I don't see how she's going to be any worse."

The boy seemed amused with her comment. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

Ino gave a small sigh. "That mountain really sucked but, I guess it's not so bad now. I might miss it a little, not that I want to stay or anything. I need a bath."

The trio looked on as something sailed out of the shadows and landed in the fire between them.

"Shit." Naruto stood up and tensed up. A sharp blow between his shoulder blades prevented him from moving. There was a loud hissing pop, and the group became consumed in a cloud of stinging gas.

"What's going..." managed Ino as she fell to her knees. She saw the blurry form of a fist moving towards her before the world went black.

Mitarashi Anko chuckled as she looked down at her. "A bath? Be careful what you wish for, kid. Boy, are you ever gonna get it."

Sasuke was on the ground but still conscious. "Weren't expecting you till tomorrow, Anko-sensei." He was struggling to keep his eyes open.

The woman looked over her shoulder at him and narrowed her eyes with a frown on her face. "Shit. Take them."

The last thing the boy saw was the bottom of a shoe.

Ibiki frowned as he kicked the boy onto his back after kicking him in the face. "Huh. Unusual. I'm almost impressed."

Anko nodded. "Yes. Look at them." She gave a dark grin as she peered down at Ino and Naruto. Several masked ANBU had slipped out of the shadows and were lifting the trio off the ground and carrying them off.

Ibiki grinned. "I've never seen recruits this healthy after two weeks on this mountain."

Anko nodded. "Neither have I, but you've been doing this a lot longer." She had the kunai they collected in her hands."

The man frowned and looked at them. "What? They reached the peak, and they still look this good?"

The woman arched her eyebrow. "Yeah. It's the only place they could have gotten these. The seals are still intact, they all retrieved them. Impressive."

Ibiki had a dark grin on his face. "I've never seen anything like this. There have been recruits who failed to make the climb before. Even they didn't look this healthy when we retrieved them. Impressive."

The kunoichi put the kunai into her pocket and nodded. "Usually they are malnourished, dehydrated, beaten up, and injured. I've never seen a group where at least one of them wasn't near dead, and the rest weren't that far off."

The male nin chuckled. "What do you think?"

Mitarashi glanced at him. "I'm not that surprised. Naruto has had survival training before. I've heard a little about some of his training. A bit of it was very similar to how we train ANBU already."

Ibiki gave a serious nod. "Training?"

The woman grinned. "Yeah. One of his former instructors is a friend of mine. Getting him to talk about it is like pulling teeth, but I've learned a bit. He told me a little about it, said it was so I could handle him, make sure it wasn't too easy for him. Nice guy, good in bed."

The man turned away. "I'll thank you not to provide details. I get enough of that sort of thing in my work. I'm betting he's never encountered what comes next."

The Kunoichi seemed amused. "No. This is completely new to him. Go especially hard on him. A request from his former master."

Ibiki glanced at her. "That's an unusual request."

The woman shrugged. "Yes. He warrants it though. He's to be an ANBU Captain, he's very well trained as it is, and a Team like this one would be wasted on normal assignments. They'll have to deal with them of course, they are recruits after all. I don't expect they'll be posted as guards and security for the village very often once their training is complete. This is a specialized field team, and I want every one of them to get the full treatment. Prepare all of them for the worst, Uzumaki in particular. Find out what it takes to break him, it's important that we know."

The man kicked dirt onto the still burning embers. "I see." The woods went dark, and when Anko's eyes adjusted back to the shadows, he was gone.

She smirked and turned away. It would be a while before she saw them again.

OooOOooOO

Ino's head hurt as her eyes opened. Her eyes were watering and her throat was sore and dry. "What? Where?" She struggled for a moment, trying to put her hand up to her hand to rub at her temples. Her arms wouldn't move.

She gasped and looked around. It was an empty dirty room, maroon and brown stains were on the white painted walls and concrete floor, and there was a single drain in the middle of the room.

Her arms were bound behind her back and she was seated in a chair with both her ankles bound, as well as ropes around her waist preventing her from moving. "Shit." When she turned her head forward again, she froze.

In front of her was a man in a black hood. His bare chest was covered in scars, he was huge and muscular, and cracking his knuckles. He didn't say anything, as he walked up and loomed over her.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She was terrified and struggling to move away from him. Her bindings were tight and prevented her from moving.

Without a single word, he reared back his hand and punched her in the jaw. She grunted in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. He felt his hand cup her cheek and brush the hair out of her face. Her body tensed up and she gasped. "N-no..." She looked up at the man with her eyes opened wide and tears started to fall.

He gave a dark chuckle and slammed his fist into her gut, knocking her chair over and sending her onto her hands. She screamed in pain as they were crushed under her own weight.

With his foot he tilted the chair back up and set her upright. "What were you doing on that mountain?" He socked her across the jaw again and almost knocked her over. Her chair was forced upright again as he grabbed her by her throat to keep her from falling and slammed her back onto the concrete. "What village are you from? Why were you there?"

She looked up at him and groaned. He slapped her across her face with the back of his hand three times. "Camping."

He cracked his knuckles and growled. "Do you take me for a fool? Camping, with no tent, no supplies? You are a spy!" He slammed her fist across her jaw again.

She turned her head to glare at them. "Where are my friends?"

The man chuckled again with a dark look in his eyes. "Dead. They told us everything before they died, just like you will."

Ino gasped. "No!" She squeezed her eyes shut as her mind screamed in anguish. "No! Sasuke isn't dead! He can't be!"

The man grabbed her hair and pulled it back. "Maybe if you talk, you'll die easier than they did? Maybe I won't have too much fun? Such a pretty girl, all alone."

Ino growled as tears fell down her face. "Why bother with me then?"

He backhanded her across her face. "I ask the questions, you provide the answers."

The kunoich growled at him."No way a creep like you killed them! They didn't tell you anything. Neither will I. You couldn't kill them if you wanted!"

The man leaned in. "Yes you will. Everyone talks. Even your friends did. I just want to find out if you know something they didn't."

She spit into his mask. "We were having a nice time camping, until your friends showed up to ruin our vacation."

The man ignored it and slapped her three times with the back of his hand again. "Do you have any idea where you are?"

Ino sobbed and glared at him at the same time. "Untie me, and I'll kill you and see for myself."

He grabbed her by her throat. "The only one who will die is you. The only question is, how long I get to take to kill you. The longer this takes, the less pleasant that will be for you, and the more I'll enjoy it."

OooOOooOO

Ibiki glared through a pane of one way mirrored glass. The young blond Jounin was hooked up to a battery and was shaking as he gritted his teeth chained to stripped mattress bed springs. In an adjacent room, Sasuke was tied to an upright table with his feet over a bed of hot coals and was being lowered by a crank over them.

He smirked as he sipped at a cup of tea and watched as Yamanaka Ino had her head shoved into a large tub of water. "Thanks, I needed a bath," she quipped as she was lifted out after a fit of coughing and gasping.

The man turned his head and looked over his shoulder. Anko had just walked into the room with an armload of folders. She sat at a table and folded her hands as she looked at the trio through the glass.

Ibiki sat down and set his tea down. Soft classical music was playing through the speakers that also provided audio to the rooms. Grunts of pain and screams through gritted teeth echoed through the room at low volume.

Ino's voice could be heard again. "Hey, I've still got some blood on my hair, give me another dunk."

Mitarashi leaned back and kicked her feet up as he sat down. "How is it going?"

The man frowned and pushed her feet off the table. "Well enough. Uchiha saw us, he's aware that this is just interrogation resistance training. Yamanaka thinks her friends have already been killed. We've been torturing them for sixteen hours a day for a week now."

Anko nodded. "I see. What about Uzumaki?"

Ibiki gave a smirk. "As cold as ice. He's not spoken since we brought him in. I actually had them check to see if his tongue was still there." He looked over his shoulder. "It's impressive, but I think he might know this is part of the training as well. He's smart enough to realize that something is suspect about this place. I don't think he knows either way for sure though."

"Come on. Can't you put some apples in here to make it interesting or something?" Ino quipped over the speakers.

Anko arched her eyebrow. "Has any of them talked at all?"

The scarred man gave a knowing smirk. "The girl won't shut up, but she's not given any information. I think telling her that her friends were already dead might have been an error. It seems to have strengthened her convictions."

The kunoichi nodded. "I've read the reports, but I wanted to have a look for myself." None of the trio was in good condition, they were all beaten and had scars and bruises. Nothing that was permanent, but enough to make it clear they weren't having a pleasant time.

Ibiki nodded. "They've lasted longer than most, I have Uzumaki tortured an extra four hours every other day."

Anko nodded. "Good."

The interrogation expert stood up and looked at the blond nin as he was shocked again. "Yes. The next day, he looks as if it never happened. It's quite impressive."

The woman flipped through the folders and nodded. "Have they tried to escape at all?"

"Ino spends her nights crying in the corner, the Uchiha boy has had a rough time of it as well. He's broken down a few times when he was alone." He looked on through the glass with a dark smile on his face.

"Uzumaki?" Anko didn't look up from the reports.

"I have to be careful with him. He tried to pickpocket the interrogators, almost managed to get a set of keys away, and nearly cut through his ropes with a scalpel. It's why we're using chains with him now. He managed to grab a needle and had to be knocked out after he managed to pick the locks and got one of his hands free." He puffed out his chest and glanced back at her with a pleasant looking smile. "I can't send anyone into that room with anything he might be able to use to escape. We've been using water torture, fire, and electric interrogation on him since. He takes a good beating as well. No one goes into that cell with a set of keys."

"Hey, why did you bring me back up, I'm still thirsty!" Ino found herself cut off by the chilled water again. It was iced heavily and she was turning a bit blue.

She nodded. "You sound impressed."

"Few last this long. We don't usually use all of these methods on recruits. I'm not going to permanently damage them, but you did request the full treatment." He put his hands behind his back.

Anko nodded. "Every means is at your disposal. Don't be nervous."

He glanced back at her. "The Hokage wouldn't be pleased if they came out looking like me. I've gone as far as I can, but even I have my limits. You don't have the authority to let me cross certain lines with recruits. Even as impressive as they are."

She shrugged and peered down at the reports. "You know your limits better than I do. I'm just saying I don't care how far you go. I'm not involved on anything more than an administrative level on this one."

"Hey, can I borrow this tub the next time I go to the beach? This would be great for sodas."

Ibiki looked at the trio. "I'm pulling the plug on this. They're back in your hands tomorrow."

She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "It hasn't been two weeks."

He nodded and didn't look back. "I know. I've come close to breaking the rules with this batch. I've been three times harder on them than any recruits I've gotten before because you asked it. I'm still within the rules, but if I take this too far, they won't be useful as ANBU. They'll just be broken and psychotic. They have strong wills, but I can only take things so far. They may be able to handle another week, but I have to be careful of psychological effects. There will be enough of that as it is, and I can't risk damaging them that way."

Anko stood up and closed the folders. "We need to be sure."

He nodded. "I am sure. It's part of my job to assess the limit between training and pointless torture that might do more harm than good." He turned and gave her a smile. "You've always trusted me about this sort of thing before. Listen to me now. I know my job, and if they haven't talked by now, they aren't going to. You know I'm not squeamish or sympathetic. I understand better than most what being captured can mean. I am as certain as I can be that these three will take anything of importance to their graves." He looked back at her again with a warm grin on his face. "There can never be certainty, but understand that this has gone as far as it can in that regard. I will not be any more certain after two weeks of this than I am now."

The woman stood up and collected her folders. "Well, as long as it's your word and not mine."

"That's exactly what I've put into the report." He tossed three sheets onto the table. "You can take it to the Hokage today. They'll be in recovery starting tomorrow. This is the last day, and I'm stopping it as soon as you leave. They will be gassed and taken to the infirmary as soon as this session ends."

"What? Done already? Get back here! I still haven't figured out what the bottom of the tub says! I want to know what band it is! I'm thinking of buying one! You asshole! Get...get back here!" Ino started sobbing as she screamed at the door as it closed after the empty tub was dragged out by her tormentor. She was soaked and the contents had been dumped onto her face while she was held down.

Anko gave a nod. "All right. If you're sure, I can accept that."

Ibiki nodded once as clouds of vapors started forming in the rooms. The trio was coughing and starting to relax a few moments after the vials had been tossed in with them.

OooOOooOO

Ino opened her eyes. She gasped as she sat upright and tugged on her wrists. She was tied down still, but she blinked and stopped tugging. "What? Where?"

"The infirmary."

Her head whipped around and her jaw dropped. Naruto was on the bed next to her with his wrists bound to the railings as well. "N-Naruto?"

The boy nodded. "You're fine. Relax."

She started to cry. "They-they said you were dead!" She got a bit wide eyed. "Sasuke! Is..."

Naruto looked to his right. "He's fine."

"Damn it." muttered his voice. "Just shut up. It was nice to have some peace and quiet. She could have thought I was dead a little longer."

Ino flopped down onto the mattress under her. It was soft and warm, something she'd not felt in three weeks. "Where are we?"

Sasuke's voice spoke up. "Are you dense? This is the hospital in Konoha."

She cocked her head. "What? We were rescued?"

Naruto gave a sigh. "No. That was training."

The girl's jaw dropped and she looked at him with wide eyes. "Wh-what?"

"Interrogation resistance training, every ANBU has to do it," Sasuke spoke up from his bed and still didn't sit up so she could see him.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Who told you? I suspected, but I wasn't sure."

The raven haired boy rolled onto his side. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

The Jounin nodded. "Ah. Kakashi-sensei."

Ino was sitting up and glaring at Naruto. "Wait a minute! You mean that our own village did that to us?"

The boy looked at her and nodded. "Pretty much. You volunteered for this you know. Don't look so upset."

She balled up her fists and leaned towards him. "You would have killed me if I didn't!"

Once again, Naruto nodded. "Well, that's true, but you didn't know it until I told you. Don't go blaming me for this. Every ANBU has to deal with it."

Ino hung her head and tears fell down her cheeks. "Well, it can't get any worse than that."

"Famous last words."

The three nin all turned to see Anko looking at them from the door to the room.

"You witch! You had us tortured!" Ino snarled and tugged at her bonds.

She shrugged at her. "No, I didn't. I only read the reports and helped capture you. It was out of my hands after that."

Sasuke sat up to look over at Ino. "Just shut up would you? It's too late to do anything about it now."

Naruto nodded and looked calm. "I'm not pleased about it either you know. He's right though. Now that we've gone and gotten it over with, we might as well see the rest of it through." He turned and narrowed his eyes at Anko. "I'm going to get Ken for this once our training is over. I know it wasn't you who knocked me out."

She leaned over his bed. "Well, bold words. I'm sure he's looking forward to it. He mentioned something about suspecting you would know it was him. You won't have time to worry about it for a while. Your training isn't finished yet, you've got a ways to go."

Ino frowned at her. "It can't be any worse than that. You had us tortured for...um...wait...how long?" She seemed to think about it.

Anko glanced over at her out of the corner of her eyes. "A week. You got off light. I've got to make up for that with the rest of your training. Ibiki went a little soft because you're just kids I guess. Normally, you'd have been there for two weeks."

The girl sucked in a breath and looked at her. "No way."

Naruto relaxed. "Well, I'm not about to complain if he did."

She turned and started walking away. "I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon. You're spending the night here to recover. Someone will be by to take those restraints off shortly. Sorry about that, not every recruit is in the best state after interrogation resistance training. It's for your own safety, it wouldn't do if I had to kill you because you were a little upset and didn't think things through yet."

She stopped in the doorway. "You're not allowed to leave the room. You're not allowed to speak with anyone. She glanced over her shoulder and gave them a serious frown. "You're not ANBU yet, but you need to understand. You never talk about your training, you never talk about your missions or duties, you never talk to anyone about anything you do as an ANBU. What happens within your team, what you do as an ANBU, stays in the ANBU. Don't expect visitors, and if someone you know stumbles across you, keep your mouths shut and tell them to fuck off. I'd better not hear about you talking to anyone, not the hospital staff, not your friends, not your family, and not anyone else, even someone you know is a former ANBU. If they aren't ANBU, they don't need to know, and you can't tell them."

Ino nodded and cocked her head. She still didn't look like she'd forgiven the woman over being tortured yet. "What happens if we do?"

Anko gave her a wicked smirk. "Look at your arms, the boys on the right, and Ino, your left."

Each of them had a tattoo on their shoulder. It was the same for all of them. Sasuke arched his eyebrow. "Hey. When did?"

Anko leaned against the doorway. "I lied when I said you couldn't back out before now. If you failed on the mountain or in interrogation resistance, you would have been thrown out. However, now you've reached the point of no return. The only way out is to retire or die. You've got several years before retirement is an option. The only way you leave the ANBU until then is death after this point. You're more than nothing now, you're not trainees, you're recruits. Slightly above worthless shit stains, but still below scum." She chuckled as she gave them a somewhat warm grin. "That tattoo doesn't just identify you as an ANBU, it's also a seal."

Ino looked annoyed. "What was that torture for then?! If we can't talk anyway, why the hell did you do that to us?"

The woman cocked her head. "The seal is easily defeated. It's more to prevent you from accidentally slipping up than a real preventative measure. You can overpower it yourself, but it won't feel very good if you do. You could talk, but you'd have to intentionally break the rules to do it. There are more potent versions of that kind of seal, they usually go on your tongue. If you're about to say something you shouldn't, you'll know it."

Ino relaxed a little more. "Oh. I see." she rubbed at her arm, it was sensitive, but it didn't hurt.

Sasuke frowned at Anko. "Wait. Can I get another room? I'll pay for it myself. I don't want to be stuck in here with Ino's mouth for the rest of the night. At least on the mountain I could get away for a bit."

Naruto's eyes drooped. "You'll be fine."

Anko shook her head and walked out closing the door behind her. "Sorry."

The girl looked over at him. "You'll come around. If Naruto wasn't here, I'd show you what was under this hospital gown."

The blond boy shrugged. "There's nothing under it. We'd be naked without them."

The girl nodded and looked annoyed with him. "I know. Maybe we can convince the staff to give Naruto his own room? He's a Jounin after all. I'm sure Sasuke and I could spend some time getting to know each other. We could find something to keep us busy for the rest of the night."

Sasuke leaned towards Naruto. "Do you think we can convince them to leave her strapped in at least?"

OooOOooOO

Anko walked out of the hospital with the three recruits behind her. "Well, you're all recovered now. I'll have to do something about that. I don't like having recovered recruits for too long."

Naruto nodded. "Well, I'd ask where we were going, but my tattoo says I shouldn't."

She turned and smiled at him. "You're catching on."

Sasuke popped his shoulder. "It was kind of nice having a bed for the night."

Ino leaned against his back. "If you wanted, we could have shared."

Anko glanced over at her. "Why were you still strapped in anyway? The staff was supposed take off the restraints."

Both boys looked away and grew a bit uncomfortable.

Anko turned towards them and tapped her foot. "Well? Out with it."

Ino glared at Naruto. "It was him."

The blond boy blushed a bit. "I might have said that she wasn't deemed stable enough to release yet, and that she was on overnight watch to make sure...or something along those lines."

"You jerk! I can't believe you!" Ino snarled as she shook her fist. "I had to stay strapped to that bed all night! They made me pee in a bottle because of you!"

He looked over at her and shrugged. "Sorry. I know you were planning something, and I wanted to make sure you and Sasuke were well rested. We'll probably need it."

The black haired boy nodded and looked quite serious. "Yes, thank you."

Naruto looked away from him. "Well, if we weren't doing who knows what today I would have let her go. It would have been fun to watch her annoy you."

Ino growled. "I am not annoying, am I Sasuke?"

He nodded. "Yes, very much so."

She tossed her hair. "You don't mean that, you're just shy. You don't have to be. I mean, how often does a hot, active, fashion savvy, girl with a normal sized forehead come into your life? You'd better not miss this opportunity!"

Sasuke frowned at her. "I love opportunities like that, I like to wave at them as they pass by." He mocked waving and acted as if something was moving by him.

She put her nose up and shifted her hips as she tossed her hair again and walked ahead of him. "Humph. I'm going to get what I want sooner or later."

Anko looked at Naruto. "Well, I suppose I can't fault you then, Uzumaki."

Ino growled. "I'm going to break down that wall you've got sooner or later, Sasuke. Not even a hot guy like you can resist me forever. I'm too sexy."

Anko chuckled. "All right, that's enough. Just come on, I've got to work off all this energy you seem to have. You've still got lots of training left before you're ANBU, and it's too late to stop now. Let's go." She started towards the gates of Konoha with the trio in tow.

Ino started to ask just how long the training would last, but a tingling on her upper left shoulder stopped her from opening her mouth. She looked at it and sighed. "How annoying."

With that, they all continued on their way out of the village and into the wilds of Fire Country once again.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Manipulate this!


	31. Chapter 31

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

Part 31

Manipulate this!

OooOOooOO

Naruto munched on a mouthful of rice as he sat against a large tree trunk with Ino and Sasuke deep in the woods of Fire Country. It was a quiet and peaceful afternoon considering, the sun was shining through the branches all around them as they sat in the shade together eating lunch. Each of them had a bento of food and the atmosphere was lazy, a rarity in the past couple of weeks.

Sasuke and Naruto looked casual and comfortable. All of them were dirty and their clothes were worn and patched with mud and stains from training in the woods. Ino's hair was frazzled, and looked a bit more worn than either of them.

"How long have we been out here?" She glanced at them both and looked a bit annoyed, but not with either one of them in particular.

Naruto gave a small grunt and seemed to think about it. "Two weeks, more or less."

Sasuke gave a nod. "Kind of relaxing, considering."

The girl gave a small sigh and whined. "Relaxing? Are you kidding? It's like being at the academy again, but worse." Most of what they had been doing was review work, physical training, and study. She hated to read, and Naruto had forced her to memorize that damn book of his. It still didn't make any sense to her, but she could recite it. He'd given her two copies, and she'd been forced to use a clone to help memorize it. She shook her ponytail and gave another heavy sigh at the state of her hair. "It's like having an exam for two weeks straight."

Naruto gave a nod. "That's a good way to look at it I suppose." Anko had been pushing them all, Naruto and Sasuke both thrived in an environment like that. Ino was having difficulty, but was keeping up despite it.

The blond kunoichi growled at him. "That's not a good thing."

Sasuke gave a rough snort. "You're talking more than usual, and you're irritable. What, are you on the monthlies or something?"

The girl frowned at him and Naruto arched his eyebrow. "Huh. You never look at him like that. He must have it pegged."

She looked away from them both. There were no tampons out in the wilderness. She was fortunate it wasn't one of her heavier cycles. "Yeah, whatever. I hope we get back to civilization soon. I need a bath, I feel like a boy or something."

The raven haired boy popped his neck. "Yeah? You don't sound like one. Quit whining. Take it like a man."

She put her nose up. "I'm not a man."

Naruto shook his head. "That's enough you two. We've got it pretty easy considering. It probably won't last much longer." He set his box down after eating the last mouthful and sat back.

Anko was standing over the trio on one of the roots looking down at them. "Heh. You've got that right. Come on you useless lumps. Break is over."

Sasuke was on his feet in an instant, Ino took a second and hung her head as she muttered under her breath. "Ugh. I'll never be clean again."

Naruto glanced at her and crossed his arms before looking up at their instructor.

She squatted down and gave them a cocky looking grin. "Not going to ask what's next?"

"Squat thrusts? You've already killed our abs today." Ino shrugged her shoulders. "I knew something was up when you brought us lunch instead of just having us catch it ourselves."

"Would you tell us if we asked?" Sasuke let his eyes close a little.

"It's faster if we just let you tell us." Naruto nodded.

She grinned at him. "Yeah. Well, this part of training is over. Tonight, something new."

Sasuke got a smirk on his face as his eyes grew hard. "Good."

"I guess we're leaving then?" Ino seemed to perk up a bit more. Anything would be better than just self administered torture and reading in the woods for another week. A change of scenery might do her some good and they might find a place to get a bath.

"No. You're staying right here for a while." Anko chuckled as the girl's head dropped. Naruto and Sasuke didn't look pleased, but were attentive and didn't seem upset about it.

"What are our instructions?" Naruto seemed confident.

Anko stood up and put her hand on her hip. "Well, for starters, say hello to an old friend."

The trio looked to their right. Sakura walked up to them. She looked dirty, tired, and annoyed at Ino. The pink haired kunoichi glowered at Ino with a scowl on her face. "Hey."

Naruto gave a small nod in greeting. "Haruno."

She turned her glare at him and jerked her thumb at Ino. "This was your idea."

He seemed cheerful and gave a nod. "Yes. It seemed like a waste to just kill her for knowing too much after all that trouble we went through to fix her."

The pink haired girl looked at him with wide eyes and her crossed arms dropped. "Huh?"

Anko gave a chuckle. "That's enough. Naruto, come here."

The boy walked up to in front of her.

The woman ignored him and looked at the trio. "You three are staying here. You're not permitted to leave these woods for two weeks." She crossed her arms and gave them a familiar looking feral grin. "You won't see me again until exactly two weeks from now. It's not as bad as the mountain. The woods are ten miles, with open field on every side. There's a few streams and a lake about five miles north of here and there aren't any large predators. Food should be easy to catch, and you should know what plants are safe for food by now."

The two girls and Sasuke looked confused and nodded.

"Three?" Naruto looked over his shoulder at them and cocked his eyebrow.

The older kunoichi looked at him. "That's right. It's time for stealth and infiltration training to begin. Uzumaki, you're exempt."

Ino gasped. "What?"

Anko narrowed her eyes at the trio. "Naruto isn't going to carry you three through this. He won't be here to help you out and do it for you." She paced on top of the root and ran her thumb across her nose. "You're on your own for two weeks."

Sakura and Ino both glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of their eyes.

The boy sucked in a breath and took a step back. "Wait. You can't leave me alone out here with these two!"

Anko tossed an envelope onto the ground between the two girls. "They won't have time to play with you. This isn't going to be easy you know. In that envelope is instructions to your next target. You are to follow the instructions to find your next assignment. None of them will take you out of these woods, and all of them will be guarded. On top of that," She paused and seemed to enjoy their expressions. "You're going to be hunted down by a team of ten ANBU."

Ino balled up her fist and growled. "What?"

Sakura looked towards Naruto and nodded as he looked a bit more relaxed after the explanation started.

Sasuke noticed it as well and scratched at his ear. "No problem. Those jerks won't know what hit em."

Anko shook her head. "You're not permitted to attack them. In fact, if they catch you, they'll beat you, brand you, and then let you go."

Sakura looked up at her with wide eyes. "Brand us?"

Anko nodded. "That's right." She held up a small branding iron with. a circle with the symbol for 'caught' inside it. If you come out of this with only a few of these marks, you'll earn a great deal of respect. The record is only five, the most anyone has gotten is twenty five.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the three of them. "If you get even one, I'll make you regret it."

Anko's face fell as she looked down at him. She waved her hand. "Well, it's nice for you to try and motivate them. Don't expect it though. No one has ever gone two weeks without getting caught."

He looked up at her with a cool expression. "I meant it." He glanced back at them again. "Not one."

Sakura and Ino both took a step back and swallowed. Sasuke looked annoyed, but cocky.

Anko chuckled at that. She couldn't let on, but she liked him. "Well, I'm sure they'll try."

The young hooded nin shook his head. "No, they will do. I do not expect them to fail, and I'm afraid I'm not as forgiving as you are. They'll feel it for months if I come back and find them with even one mark on them. I promise." His voice had gone very dark and was almost dripping with venom.

Ino and Sakura were both visibly shaken. The pink haired girl seemed to steel herself. Ino was almost shaking in her shoes. Sasuke didn't look that impressed, but seemed to know that the boy was serious as well.

Their instructor was impressed, both of Naruto's female teammates seemed very motivated. Sasuke just looked cocky and confident.

Anko motioned for Naruto to follow her. "Come on." She looked over her shoulder as the trio standing alone at the base of the tree. "The hunt starts at midnight." Naruto moved after her and gave a casual wave.

Ino watched the pair vanish into the tree line and looked at Sasuke and Sakura. "Do you think he might kill us?"

Sakura gave a heavy sigh and didn't look all that comfortable. "No. He'll just make us wish we were dead. Come on." She picked up the note.

Sasuke backed away from the pair and crossed his arms. "We should get moving." He glanced at Sakura. "What's it say?"

The girl gave a small sigh. "It's a map. There's a mark on top of what looks like some kind of rock." It was a simple hand drawn map with a few landmarks. "It says nine o'clock tomorrow night. I'm guessing that's when it will be there."

Yamanaka cocked her head. "When what will be there? What are we looking for?"

Sasuke was peering at the map over Sakura's shoulder while keeping his distance from both girls. "Doesn't say. Probably another note like this one telling us where to go next."

Ino glared over her shoulder at where Naruto had gone. "Why is he exempt?"

Sakura frowned at her. "Who cares? We should get moving. The sun is going down, and this will probably be where they head first."

Sasuke gave a nod. "We should make some clones and split up. It will make us harder to track."

Ino blinked and looked over at him. "Split up?"

Haruno grunted and shoved the note in her pocket. "Not yet, we need to find a place to meet first. We'll make clones and send them off in another direction to give them more than one trail to follow."

Sasuke gave a nod. "Ino and I know this area. We've been here for two weeks now. There's a fallen tree about a mile from here that we both know. She can show you where it is. We'll meet there at seven tomorrow night."

Ino balled up her fist as he split in two and dashed off into the shadows. "Wait! Where are you going?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. "Away from you I'd guess."

The blond turned to frown at her. "He didn't take off until you showed up. We've been getting along really well."

The pink haired kunoichi balled up her fist and a vein poked out of her forehead. "Have you now?"

Ino tossed her hair. "That's right. I'm winning him over now that he has a better option, he's forgotten all about you. He hasn't mentioned you at all since I came."

Sakura fumed and spun around to face her. "Where is the stupid tree?"

The blond clasped her hands. "You know, we shared a tender moment there. We've been alone together for a month now. We were looking up at the moonlight sitting together quietly."

Haruno gave a snort. "You liar. You couldn't sit quietly to save your life."

Ino looked cocky and put her nose up. "What do you know of it? You haven't been here. Sasuke and I have formed an unbreakable bond."

Sakura jerked with discomfort and frowned at her. "You know, I've been on this team a lot longer than you."

The blond kunoichi gave a giggle. "I know, and I'm already much closer to him than you'll ever be."

Her rival growled. "Shut up would you? Just show me where the stupid tree is."

Ino started walking and motioned for her to follow. "Come on. I'll show you. Just don't lag behind. We've been training really hard." She jumped into the branches and started moving above the ground.

Sakura kept up with no difficulty and moved up just behind her rival. "What do you think I've been doing?"

Yamanaka glanced over her shoulder at her. "None of us know. What have you been doing anyway?"

Haruno didn't have any trouble holding a conversation as she kept pace. "The same thing as you. I'm training to be an ANBU too you know. Plus, I've got medical training with Tsunade."

Ino gave a nod. "Yeah? Did they leave you alone on a mountain for two weeks?"

"No. Medics are exempt from survival training. We make it too easy for the rest of the team."

Ino glanced at her and ducked under a branch. "Really? Kind of like how Naruto got out of this?"

Sakura gave a nod. "Yeah. I guess. He's probably mad. He'd enjoy something like this."

The blond nodded as she kicked off another branch. "You're right. He's a sick bastard. He would enjoy this." She caught a branch with her hands and swung to the next foothold. "Did they torture you?"

Sakura landed just after her. "For two weeks. All ANBU have to do that."

Ino nodded. "They only tortured us for a week."

The pink haired girl almost fell off her branch. "What? No fair!"

The blond girl gave a small sigh. "Does anyone use that kind of torture anymore? I mean, what with Genjutsu, and drugs, and mind manipulation jutsu it seems kind of pointless."

Sakura frowned at her. "Tell that to Ibiki. Those techniques can all be resisted by someone with a strong enough will. The torture training tests that, resisting physical torture takes the same kind of willpower as resisting drugs and mind manipulation. Besides, Naruto's chakra sealing trick gives us immunity from most Genjutsu."

Ino paused on a thick branch and let her legs hang. She put her finger up to her chin and seemed to think on it. "It does?"

Sakura nodded. "I've never seen a Genjutsu technique fool him. We've run into a few here and there."

The blond jumped down to ground level and started walking. "Huh. He never mentioned it."

The pink haired kunoichi shrugged as she landed beside her. "He never mentions anything. You've got to learn to figure things out for yourself. He loves a good secret and getting information from him is like trying to push a ram off the edge of a cliff by the horns."

Ino frowned. "I noticed. How have you put up with that jerk for so long? He made me memorize that stupid book of his. Asshole."

Sakura cocked her head and crossed her arms. "Well, Sasuke is on my team."

Her rival gave a nod. "Yeah. It's very motivating isn't it?"

The other kunoichi was looking down the side of the hill they were standing on. "That tree there. Is that it?" There was a large fallen tree at a forty five degree angle ahead of them in the woods.

Ino nodded. "Yeah. That's it."

Sakura looked back at her. "Come on, let's keep moving. I don't think we should get any closer yet. We don't want to lead them to it. We'll split up further ahead and make a few clones and meet up back here when we discussed tomorrow night."

The blond girl shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever."

The pair dashed off into the woods as the sun drew close to the horizon.

OooOOooOO

Naruto seemed surprised. "Kakashi sensei?"

Anko gave a small nod as the man walked up with a cheerful grin on his face. "Naruto. Have you been enjoying your training?"

The young hooded nin nodded. "More than I should considering what's been involved."

The gray haired man seemed pleased to hear it. "I had a feeling. Your team is doing well?"

"They'd better be. I'll make them regret it if they're not."

Anko gave a snort and slapped his back. "Well, I'll leave this to you. I've got to go oversee my other recruits. I trust you'll not go easy on him."

Kakashi looked at her and scratched his head. "He'd never forgive me if I did."

The young blond gave a small sigh. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of sadist."

The woman turned and left the pair standing in a clearing. There was a waterfall nearby, and a large grassy meadow surrounding a large stream that trickled away from the pool at the base of the waterfall at the base of a long cliff.

Kakashi motioned for him to follow and started walking towards the water. "Come on. We'll get started right away."

Naruto was ready for anything and looked about at the pretty scenery. He was half expecting an ambush of some sort. "Am I permitted to know what this is about?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, I'm a former ANBU. I remember the training, but I'm not the type to instruct recruits like most. Don't worry. This has to do with you rank rather than your ANBU training directly."

The blond gave a small sigh. "Yeah. I'm not complaining or anything, but that stealth training sounded like fun."

The man shook his head. "You don't need it and you know it. You'd make things too easy on your teammates. Even if you weren't doing things for them, just having you around would be a bit more of an advantage than they should have in that sort of environment."

Naruto looked skeptical of that. "Huh? I guess. I don't want a free pass or anything."

Kakashi shook his head. "You're not getting one. You defeated Gai using stealth and tactics, and you've shown exceptional aptitude in those matters in our missions. It was enough to prove your worth. Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino need to prove their own now. You'd just get in the way of that."

The boy nodded as they ended up on a small grassy hill. "What do I need to do then?"

The man held out a small slip of paper. "Hold this."

The boy's eyebrow went up as he took it. "Huh?" He looked at it. "A piece of paper?"

His instructor nodded. "Yes, now put a little bit of chakra into it. Just a little will do."

He did as he was told and seemed surprised when it split in two. "What happened?"

Kakashi nodded as he looked at the reaction. "So. You're a wind affinity."

"Wind?" Naruto seemed thoughtful.

The man held up another slip. "Yes. This paper is special. It shows the elemental affinity of your chakra." He put a bit of his own chakra into it and it crinkled up. "My affinity is electricity. If your afinity is Earth, it crumbles to dust, and if it's water, it gets soggy."

The boy nodded and peered at his paper. "Wind affinity? Elemental recomposition?"

Kakashi nodded. "That's right. You're a Jounin, and you need to learn elemental recomposition. You'll receive training for the first, but you should study the others on your own. It's very useful to be able to use more than one. Wind chakra will be easiest for you to learn. It's still possible for you to learn others, but wind will always be your strongest element. You'll be able to learn more advanced wind techniques. For example, a person who has a fire affinity will be able to overpower any fire jutsu you use. Even if you're both using the same technique. You should be careful of fire users, as fire has an advantage over wind."

Naruto seemed very interested. "Right. How is it different from just using a jutsu?"

The man seemed pleased that he wasn't having difficulty understanding. "Well, hand seals take time, scrolls have limited uses, and you'll use less chakra using recomposition. Each has advantages and disadvantages, but recomposition and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the elements are essential tools for a ninja."

The boy gave a nod. "Knowledge is power."

His instructor gave a serious looking nod. "Yes. Knowledge can be useful, but without the ability to apply it, it can often do you little good. Elemental recomposition is difficult to learn, and very taxing. This won't be easy, and I'm afraid we've only got two weeks."

The hooded nin balled up the paper in his fist. "How many clones do I need?"

Kakashi seemed pleased. "How many can you make?"

"How many do I need?" The boy looked confident.

The man pointed at a nearby tree. "As many as you can make. That tree over there, each one will need one whole leaf."

Naruto looked at it and nodded a moment later, a little more than two hundred and fifty of him were standing before the man.

The older jounin nodded. "That should do. I'm confident this won't be beyond you. You've already learned advanced chakra manipulation. That training isn't directly related, but some of the principals will help you here."

The young nin closest to him nodded. "Rasengan."

Kakashi gave a nod. "Yes. It's a very advanced manipulation technique. We're going to start off simple here." He picked up a leaf from the ground. "All you have to do is split a leaf in two and then we can move on."

The clones started towards the tree. The man looked on as each one took a leaf and moved into the field to start. He walked over to the almost barren tree after they had finished and sat down after pulling a book from his pocket. He'd done all he could, and knew Naruto wouldn't really need supervision to work. He'd keep going until he got it, whether he learned it within the two weeks they had or not. He looked over at the hundreds of boy glaring and concentrating on their individual leaves and gave a small chuckle. He had little doubt he'd at least get him started on the right path before his time was up. Naruto would finish up on his own even if he didn't get it before their time together was finished.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke gave a small sigh as the two girls stepped out of the brush and next to the fallen tree. He was underneath it in the shadow and looking on as they approached.

Ino was started shifting her hips a bit more as she noticed him. Sakura appeared at the same time and gave her a small glare.

The Yamanaka girl spoke up first. "What's the plan?"

Sasuke frowned and stood up. "I've checked out the target. There are three guards patrolling the area around that rock."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. One of them is always standing next to it. They change shifts every hour."

The boy nodded. "Right. There's a password when they meet to take the next shift."

The blond smiled at him. "Impressive that you got that close."

Sakura looked at her out of the corners of her eyes. "Do we know what it is?"

The boy nodded. "Tsubasa." He looked in the general direction of the target. "You've got that map still?"

The pink haired girl pulled it out and handed it over.

He took it out and pointed at the area around the rock. "They patrol around it in a circle." He drew a circle about a quarter mile around the area that moved right over the rock at it's northern most point.

"So how do we get to it?" The blond leaned over the map and pushed her chest out.

Sakura pulled her back by her shoulder and tapped her finger. "Here. There's a lot of cover in this area." She drew another circle.

"That's nowhere near the target." Sasuke glanced at her and tapped at the rock.

"That's right." The pink haired girl nodded. "We're going to draw one of the guards away."

Sasuke smirked and nodded. "I think I get what you mean. Send them off on a wild goose chase, draw one away and then..."

The pink haired girl nodded. "Right. We'll impersonate our missing guard and show up for their shift."

The raven haired boy nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Who's going to go in there, and who is going to provide the distraction?"

Sakura looked at Ino. "She stands out the most. She'll make the best distraction."

The blond growled at her. "Me? Why am I risking my neck for this?"

Sasuke gave a small grunt. "You're not. We use clones remember? You're going to get one of them to chase after one of your clones. You've just got to keep them busy until we get to that note."

Sakura gave a nod. "Sasuke will help with that. He'll be shadowing you to make sure they stay occupied while I get our next objective."

The blond girl frowned. "Shadowing me?"

"I'll get myself spotted if our target starts to lose interest in you. Hopefully, that will keep him away long enough for Sakura to reach our goal." The raven haired boy tapped his finger on the map. "There's a thick grove here, lots of trees and winding paths. A good place to keep our guard running in circles."

The pink haired girl nodded. "You're going to have to keep them after you for more than an hour. If I show up too early, it will tip them off that something is wrong. I've got to stay on the patrol route, and I can't just walk away from guarding it. You need to keep anyone who notices you busy and away from here until the next shift shows up. There are other ANBU making sure the patrols aren't interrupted. That's another reason this is the best place to strike."

"So, you're saying it's obviously the best place?" Ino frowned at her.

Sasuke shook his head. "No. That would be here." He tapped at a small canyon that cut through the forest near to one of the streams. "I've only spotted eight out of our ten hunters so far. The other two will be waiting here, expecting us to take the bait. We're not the only ones setting traps you know."

The blond girl nodded. "Oh. Right. Sounds like a plan."

Sakura glanced at Ino. "You get to be loud and get noticed. You're perfect for the job."

The blond kunoichi stuck up her nose. "What do you mean? We'll just wipe the dirt off that forehead and the use the moonlight shining off it to blind them."

Her rival looked out of the corner of her eyes. "Maybe you can write them a poem and make them a flower arrangement to convince them to hand it over?"

Ino gave a small sigh. "I'm charming enough I might pull that off. Right, Sasuke?" Both girls looked up to find the space he'd been in vacant. "Huh?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and didn't seem that surprised.

Ino hung her head. "Great. You chased him off again." When she turned to look, Sakura was gone as well. She narrowed her eyes and whipped her head around. "What is it with this team? All right, fine. I guess I'll go and distract that guard. Shouldn't be too hard."

Sasuke looked on from a tree branch hanging overhead. He was frowning in annoyance. "Two weeks of this? Are you kidding me?" Dodging the ANBU wasn't so bad, they hadn't noticed him yet. Dealing with his two kunoichi teammates without killing them? That would be a challenge. He had every intention of keeping up his split up and meet up tactics going. The less time he spent around the two of them, the better.

OooOOooOO

Ino peered through the bushes as her target walked towards her position. "Okay. How am I going to handle this?" Sneaking around wasn't difficult anymore. Naruto had done more than just taught her how to seal up her chakra. When she'd learned to walk again, he'd taught her how to walk, and run, and jump, and land without sound. He'd taught her about controlling her breathing, staying in the shadows, using cover. When she'd trained her body to move without chakra, Naruto hadn't just let them stumble and find their own feet. He'd completely retaught them how to move.

She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. "Shit, to hell with it." As the target approached thirty yards, she stumbled out of the bushes looking disoriented and stumbling onto the path. The kunoichi forced a surprised expression on her face as she looked at the approaching ANBU. It was a man in a mask and cloak who seemed almost as surprised as she did. "Oh shit!" She started to run away.

The patrolling guard gave a small chuckle and started after her into the woods. He never noticed himself step out of the woods behind him and continue on his patrol.

Ino darted into the trees and glanced over her shoulder. She'd already had another pursuer on her tail. She darted around a tree and into the shadows.

"Where is she?"

"Hiding?" One of them was female. "Well, she can't stay hidden long."

The girl was moving ahead of them and peered through the brush at the pair as the searched the area around where she'd vanished. She was already far to their right.

"I should get back. You can handle this?" The male looked at his companion.

"Shouldn't be any trouble." The woman seemed amused.

Ino frowned and dashed out of her cover. She intentionally stepped on a stick as she rushed away. Both heads snapped towards her and started moving.

"There she is!"

"Let's go!"

She didn't look back again and smirked to herself as they continued to chase her.

OooOOooOO

Sakura continued on her path towards the goal. Her pace was lazy and calm as she strolled along towards the objective. She knew that impatience would work against her and kept the lazy stroll of the one she had replaced. One of the ANBU was watching her move by from above on a tree branch. She didn't bother to look up at them as she continued on her way. She held her breath and kept moving along the patrol route. After a few moments, she had gone by and was out of sight of the hidden ninja.

There was still ten minutes to go, and one more guard post to get by.

OooOOooOO

"Slippery little bitch." The female kunoichi growled as she darted around a few trees and skidded to a halt while looking to the left and right.

The male growled and balled up his fist. "Kanzaki should be looking for me by now."

The woman nodded. "He'll catch up."

The male glanced back over his shoulder. "I should get back."

The woman nodded. "I've spotted her again. You go ahead. I'll deal with this. Find Kanzaki and tell him to meet up with me." There was a flash of blond hair in the trees ahead of them.

The male ANBU tensed up. "Another one." He pointed to the right. "We'll split up. I think it's the boy."

The woman chuckled. "Uchiha? Interesting. It seems they've split up. Smart for recruits. Usually they stick together for the first few days." She darted off after the blond, while the man moved off to his right.

OooOOooOO

Sakura strolled up to a bonfire and nodded towards the waiting guard.

It was a woman with long violet hair. She put her hand on the sword on her back and stood up. "Huh?" She relaxed and glanced at a small hourglass on top of the rock. "Oh. Must have lost track of time. It's not like you to sneak up on me."

"You seemed distracted." Sakura spoke in the man's voice and put a bit of amusement in her voice.

"They're just recruits." She gave a shrug. "Password. I need to stretch my legs and sitting on this rock is incredibly dull."

"Tsubasa." The young kunoichi felt her chest grow tight.

The woman gave a small nod. "See you in two hours." She turned the hourglass over and started walking away.

Sakura walked up to the rock and didn't look at the note resting on top of it. She watched the woman stroll away and stood in front of it with her arms crossed. After about five minutes, she glanced back and took another envelope off the rock.

She opened it and found another map, the same one as they had before, with a mark on a different spot and ten thirty marked under it. She cocked her eyebrow and put the old map into the envelope before placing it back on the rock. With that, she leaned back and waited.

OooOOooOO

Ino skidded to a halt as she found herself standing in front of a cliff. She turned and backed towards the edge as she faced the woods. "Shit." Sasuke was right beside her panting for breath.

In the shadows a female voice spoke up. "Well, nowhere to run? A shame, you've given us quite a chase. It's over now though." A white mask appeared in the darkness approaching her position. "A shame. I was starting to have fun."

"Pleasure is mine, I guess." Ino looked over her shoulder.

Sasuke balled up his fists and said nothing as he glared at the mask. Another had appeared behind her. "You call that fun? I'm going to enjoy beating the shit out of them both and giving them a mark. We've been running around these woods for more than an hour now."

The woman chuckled as she moved towards the pair. "Now, don't be like that. I'm almost sorry I've got to do this. Almost."

She put up her fist revealing a set of brass knuckles.

Sasuke glanced at Ino and looked over his shoulder. She did the same and looked at him.

The man sounded annoyed. "Hey. Don't be stupid. That's a long drop."

The woman spoke up as well. "He's right. Every recruit has to go through this, no one has ever gotten through it without a few marks and a couple of good beatings. It's not worth your life to avoid it."

Sasuke gave the pair a smirk. "That's debatable."

Ino nodded. "Let's go."

The pair both fell backwards over the edge. As soon as they cleared the line of sight of both ANBU, both of them broke the jutsu on their clones in mid fall.

"Are they crazy!" cried the male in alarm as he rushed forward. The woman moved right with him and they slid to a halt at the edge looking down.

There was nothing, the pair had vanished.

"What the hell?" The man muttered. There was no way they had fallen all the way down before they reached the edge.

"Who the hell are these kids? What happened?" The woman knelt down and peered over the edge.

The male looked at her. "We should report in. Something isn't sitting right about this with me."

His companion nodded. "No kidding. We just saw two recruits jump off a cliff rather than get caught." She sounded a little upset.

The man nodded. "Come on. We need to head back and send someone down there."

OooOOooOO

Sakura looked on as an ANBU walked up to the rock as the hourglass emptied. "Right on time."

The other nin gave a nod. "I'm never late. You know that." It was a man in a wolf mask.

"What's the password? My legs are getting stiff from standing here." She kept her tone even and neutral.

"Tsubasa. Enjoy your walk. See you in a couple of hours." He moved up to take the position to guard the note. Sakura turned the hourglass over and walked off. As soon as she was out of sight of the guard station, and the ANBU hidden in the trees above overlooking the guard station, she moved off the patrol path and into the woods.

OooOOooOO

"What are you doing here?" The guard was looking at the two ANBU who had approached his post. Two more appeared on either side of the man and woman who had just walked up.

"We've been chasing two recruits through the woods for more than an hour now. Where was Kanzaki?" The male sounded annoyed.

The guard gave a snort. "Then where are they?"

The woman hung her head. "They jumped off the eastern cliff."

Two more ANBU had appeared around the pair. Each of them looked ready to strike.

"Funny, I relieved you from your post less than an hour ago." The man in the wolf mask sounded annoyed. "Do you think we're that stupid?"

Both of the returning ANBU looked surprised. "What? He's been with me the whole time. There's no way!"

The two ANBU flanking the pair grabbed their arms and held them from behind.

The man in the wolf mask strolled up. "What's the password then?"

"Tsubasa!" chimed the pair together.

"What's going on here?" The woman who had been chasing after Ino growled.

The wolf masked ANBU took the note off the rock and opened it. "The map is still in here. Detain these two."

"We need to check the base of the cliff. Those two idiot kids jumped off the edge." The woman sounded a bit annoyed.

The wolf ANBU shook his head. "None of the posts reported that the patrols were disrupted. Everything is still moving on time."

Another ANBU appeared. He looked towards the male who had been chasing the two recruits. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you on patrol?"

He sounded annoyed. "You're just now noticing? We've been gone for almost two hours now!"

"You passed the checkpoint last hour. I saw you."

The man growled. "Damn it, Kanzaki! I've been running around the woods chasing recruits. One of them stumbled out of the woods on my route."

"What's going on here?" The group turned as Anko walked up with a frown on her face. She had her arms crossed and a pair of headphones was resting around her neck.

"We're not sure. Someone has screwed up, and Ryoken and Miyaka say they've been chasing recruits through the woods for the past few hours. I relieved him from his post less than an hour ago. The map is still here, and everyone here knows the password."

Anko narrowed her eyes. "Let me see the map."

The wolf mask picked it up off the rock. "What's the password?"

The woman rolled her eyes and gave a small sigh. "Tsubasa. If they've managed to cause this much of a mess I'll certainly be..." She took the note and opened it as she spoke. "Well, that is impressive."

The ANBU all looked over at her. The guard at the rock spoke up. "What?"

"This is the map I gave them yesterday." Anko slapped it down on top of the rocks.

Miyaka looked on with wide eyes. "No way."

Ryoken looked down at it. "You've got to be kidding me." He balled up his fists. "I knew something was up. What the hell is going on here?"

Anko shook her head. "Good luck catching this bunch. You're going to have your hands full."

Miyaka glared at her. "They jumped off the eastern cliffs. The Yamanaka girl and the Uchiha boy. They're probably dead, but we need to check the area."

The team's instructor chuckled. "Look if you want. I guarantee you won't find anything down there."

The wolf mask spoke up. "Who the hell are these brats?"

"Kakashi's former students, Team Seven, they are stealth specialists. You're going to have your hands full with this group. I expect each of them to have a mark by the end of the week. I don't want any records broken on my watch. I don't want to be accused of taking it easy on them just because they're kids. I look bad enough because Ibiki went soft on me, don't you go and screw this up too. Don't forget, you get paid for this job by how many marks they get."

The group collectively hung their heads as she walked away.

The one in the wolf mask spoke up. "Go and gather the others, then spread out and start hunting. We won't get another opportunity like this until tomorrow night. Don't screw it up. I want all of them captured before the next objective is delivered tomorrow night. Now go!"

OooOOooOO

Sasuke smirked as he pulled the transmitter off his ear. "The two that were chasing us are named Miyaka and Ryoken, the one wearing the wolf mask is the leader. The guard at the first checkpoint you saw is named Kanzaki." Sakura was lounging on a branch above him and gave a nod.

Ino gave a small sigh just below them both. She had her chin in her palms and was watching Sasuke with dreamy eyes. "That wasn't so hard."

Sakura frowned at her. "I don't think it's going to get any easier. I doubt that will work again." She looked at Sasuke. "What about the guard I relieved?"

"No one mentioned her." He shrugged and handed her a scroll after writing all the information down. He had written down a few personality traits as well.

She opened it up and looked at it in the moonlight. "So we'll have to keep digging. I want to know all of their names by the end of the week at least."

"Why?" Ino looked over at her. "What does that matter?"

Sakura glanced at her and looked a bit annoyed. "The more we know about them, the easier it will be to fool them. Didn't you pay any attention at the academy?"

The blond girl cocked her head. "Oh. Like, know your enemy? Hey, seeing it like this makes it make more sense."

Sasuke gave a snort. "Don't tell him that. It will only make him worse."

The pink haired kunoichi nodded. "That book of his is useful. Don't you dare ever tell him I said that."

Ino scrunched up her nose. "Ugh. No way. I don't ever want to read that stupid thing ever again."

Sasuke stood up and looked down at them. "There's a waterfall to the north. We'll meet there tomorrow night at eight thirty. It's not on the map, so get Ino to give you directions if you need them." He jumped away into the night leaving them alone.

"Yeah. Using the landmarks marked on the map isn't a good idea I guess." Sakura seemed to think about it for a moment. "They'll be on the lookout in those places. It's best to avoid them."

"There he goes again. Whenever you show up he takes off." Her rival hung her head.

The pink haired girl didn't look that interested. "It seems more like he takes off whenever you open your mouth to me."

The blond gave a heavy sigh. "I guess we're on our own again until then?"

Sakura looked at the place where the Uchiha boy had been and nodded. "It's best if we don't stick together and meet up like this. We should do some scouting of the next location on the map before we do on our own."

Ino looked over at her and nodded. The next spot was in the middle of a small clearing about four miles away.

OooOOooOO

Naruto walked over to Kakashi and the man looked up at him. "What is it?"

The boy wiped his forehead, there were still hundreds of him working. "I was just wondering, if there was anyone else in Konoha who has a wind affinity?"

The man nodded. "Yes. Asuma is also a wind affinity. Hoping to get a few tips?"

The young ninja nodded. "Yeah."

Kakashi thought about it. "Well. I can't leave you alone, and you're still under ANBU rules. So, no outside contact."

The boy nodded. "I see. Oh well. Maybe, I'll ask him about it later?"

The man nodded. "I'll arrange something. This is difficult training, and I think it's a good idea to ask someone." He stood up and made a shadow clone.

OooOOooOO

Kakashi walked up as Naruto concentrated on one of the leaves. "Naruto, break your jutsu and take a break."

The boy nodded and his clones vanished each dropping a leaf to the ground. "What's up?"

"I had a little talk with Asuma, and I'm afraid you're going to have to pay for him, Shikamaru, and Choji to eat Yakitori once your training is complete. He'd like you to bring Ino along, they're friends of hers and they'll want to see how she's doing."

The boy's eyes drooped a little. "Ch-Choji?" He nodded and gave a small sigh. "I suppose I can afford it. Even his stomach has limits, and I'm not exactly poor or anything."

"Expect it to be expensive." Kakashi seemed cheerful and nodded. "Asuma is no slouch either. Though, Choji is the one you need to worry about."

"Great. What did he say?" The boy didn't seem to mind much and was interested in anything that might help him more.

The man nodded. "He said that you should imagine grinding your chakra together in opposite directions so that it forms a blade. The sharper, the better."

The boy seemed to think on that. "Huh. I think I get it. Anything else?"

"He asked that I tell you to wish Ino luck when you see her again. Shikamaru sends his regards, and asked that you pass them along to her as well."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was on his back and looking up at the stars in the sky. Training was done for the night and he was getting close to passing out for the night. "I wonder how they're doing so far? They'd better not have any stupid marks when I meet them again."

His training was tiring, and thus far he'd only managed a partial gash in any of the leaves. It was as difficult as promised, but he needed to put his mind on other things. It was mentally draining to spend too much time thinking about his training when he wasn't doing it.

"I wonder how Kitsuma is doing? Jeez, it's been a month since I've seen him already." He gave a heavy yawn as his eyes started to drop. He didn't resist, and relaxed as sleep overtook him.

OooOOooOO

Kakashi was standing with his arms crossed as he looked down at Naruto. The boy had succeeded in only a day and a half and had just woken up after passing out from his work. An ANBU was standing beside him without a mask no and a cheerful looking smile was on the stranger's face.

"Huh?" The boy sat up and looked between them. "Oh. Hello."

The gray haired nin nodded at his student. "Good. You're up."

The boy stood up and wobbled for a moment before catching his balance. "Boy, that took a lot out of me."

The stranger seemed pleased. "So, this is Uzumaki? It's nice to meet you."

The blond nin nodded and bowed politely. "Hi. Who are you?"

His teacher slapped the man on his back. "This is Tenzo. He's an old friend of mine and an ANBU Captain."

The man nodded, he had a helmet on that didn't cover his hair and shielded the sides of his face and forehead. "Hello. You're still a recruit, so I was assigned to help oversee your training."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. I requested that he help out. As a former ANBU, I have a certain level of trust, but since you're still a recruit this requires a level of supervision from an ANBU member. This isn't directly related to your ANBU training, but you're still under training rules."

Tenzo nodded. "Technically, you shouldn't have been here alone with him at all. Kakashi is well known though, so we let it slide this time. I wasn't available yesterday and he requested me specifically."

Naruto nodded and didn't bother asking anything. "Great. So, now what? I've finished the first part of the training."

Kakashi jerked his thumb over his shoulder. There was a log suspended just in front of the waterfall. It was long enough to fit about fifty of him across it. "Now, your task is to cut a waterfall in half."

The boy blinked and seemed a little surprised. "A waterfall?"

His teacher nodded. "Yes. If you can manage that, you'll be able to use it in combat, and you'll have your first elemental recomposition technique."

The boy looked at the training set up with a serious frown and nodded. "Right."

Tenzo smiled as he looked on. "You should continue to develop it. It qualifies, but it will be a very basic technique. As a Jounin and an ANBU, you should strive to improve your understanding of elemental recomposition. Even branching into other elements."

The boy nodded. "Well, I've never been one to stop short of anything. Still, I've got to figure this out first. I should get started."

OooOOooOO

A week and a half later...

Sasuke was sitting under a hanging boulder with his arms crossed. Sakura and Ino were both moving up and his Sharingan was looking them both down. "Hey." A close call a few days before had given them quite a scare. Their meeting place had been ambushed by ANBU posing as Sakura and Ino. The incident had almost gotten himself and Ino captured, Sakura got away clean. Now, he arrived first and used his Sharingan to make sure that the two girls had their chakra suppressed before any of them drew near.

They managed to escape and regroup, and had gotten their envelope for that evening, just like all the others. There were about twenty ANBU hunting them in the woods now, their targets were in enclosed spaces or open areas without much cover. It hadn't gotten any easier.

Both girls looked dirty and tired. Their clothes were torn, and each had a small frown on their faces.

Ino gave a sigh. "That was close. They almost spotted me."

Sakura looked annoyed. "What the hell were you thinking? Jumping out of the water like that?"

"I almost drowned. At least Sasuke came through." The blond looked miserable and both girls were soaked.

Sasuke didn't speak up, but if she hadn't distracted the three ANBU she'd surprised while doing it, he would have been spotted. Their envelope had been on a boat in the middle of a large pond this time. They had managed to sneak to the boat underwater and pushed it close enough to a low hanging branch for Sasuke to swing down from his feet and snatch it from behind the guard's back. He'd almost turned around and caught him, but Ino jumped out onto the shore and started running into the woods. In the process drawing no less than five ANBU to chase her down.

Ino flopped down and gave a heavy sigh. "So, now what?"

There had been several close calls during their time in the woods. The ANBU were skilled ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu users. Ninjutsu was the most dangerous to them. Genjutsu was pretty much useless against the three of them, but their pursuers still hadn't figured that out. They'd tried to impersonate Anko to draw them out at one point, but only one of them almost fell for it.

Ino had almost gone out, but Sasuke had reminded her of the woman's promise that she wouldn't see them for two weeks. She'd yet to lie, and they'd been able to use it to distract the ANBU to their advantage in the end.

Sasuke gave a smirk. He'd only seen the girls for a few hours every night, and spent most of his days hiding out in the treetops. They had all been living on edible plants and bugs. Cooking wasn't an option, as starting a fire would give their position away. They came down to eat and drink, and had been forced to scrounge away from larger patches of food. The ANBU patrolled large patches of edible plants forcing them to avoid any large concentration of food. They kept an eye on the water sources as well, but they couldn't watch every small stream that ran through the woods either.

Sakura looked at the new map. "It's a building of some sort. Looks like a concrete bunker or something. It looks like there's something inside for each of us. Our names are written on it and there's an arrow pointed at some sort of back room.

"Tomorrow is the last day. Since there's something inside for each of us we should each figure something out on our own." Sasuke sat back and put his hands behind his head.

The pink haired girl shook her head. "No. Every one of these ANBU will be guarding it. We'll need all of us to get inside and get to whatever it is."

Ino frowned at her and nodded. "I hate to say it, but she's right. We weren't given instructions that we had to get them ourselves. Two of us should provide a distraction, while one of us goes in to get the last clue, or whatever this is."

Sasuke looked a bit surprised. "I guess you're right." He seemed a little annoyed and looked at the map. "It doesn't say we have to get them ourselves. Just has our names. Don't forget those knives though. One of us might not be able to get all three of whatever it is."

The pink haired girl nodded. "We don't even know if there even is three of something. We've got no idea what's in this place."

Ino grunted and scrunched up her face. "How though? Getting them to chase after our clones is a pain. That Yugao chick is a real bitch to get away from too."

Sasuke nodded. "They've got three Huuyga with them now. It's not that surprising that they can tell."

Sakura cocked her head. "I'm not so sure they can. They always seem the most confused. I'd heard they were really strong, but avoiding them seems almost too easy. I heard them muttering something about something Hinata said or something a few times. Never caught what it was."

Ino cracked her neck and rubbed at it. "Well, that doesn't make getting them to chase us any easier. How are we going to distract them?"

Sakura smiled. "We're all going to make two clones."

The boy nodded. "That makes sense. I know I can manage it, what about you two?"

Ino furrowed her brow. "I'm not so sure. I can do one no problem, but two?"

The pink haired kunoichi shrugged. "I can do it. We're not training with them. We won't need them long, just enough to draw them out and think that they have us."

Sasuke nodded. "That should work. They've figured out that we're using clones. They won't chase us very far if they can only see one of us."

The blond perked up. "That doesn't sound so hard. Which one of us is going in?"

The pink haired kunoichi winked at Sasuke. "Odds or evens?"

The boy frowned and seemed to think on it. "Evens."

Each of the pair shook their fists three times and put out fingers. They ended up with five. Sakura pumped her arm. "I win."

Yamanaka gave a small sigh. "Sasuke goes then, and I'm stuck running around the woods for two hours again?"

Haruno snorted. "What? No way. I'm going in. Sasuke can run around with you for tonight."

The blond girl perked up. "Really?" She paused and worked her jaw. "Wait. You mean you both wanted to go into that place? It's a trap!"

They both shrugged at her. Sasuke stood up and stretched his arms. "We'll do some scouting and meet up for a little planning tomorrow. Ino, try to keep your head down would you?"

"He's worried about me?" The girl lit up.

Sakura gave a snort. "He's worried about Naruto. We've almost gotten out of this without getting caught, and you're the most likely candidate. Every time we let you try and take point you've screwed up and almost gotten caught."

Ino glowered at her and put up her middle finger. "Hey. I've been saving your butts from getting caught. Sasuke's butt is very dear to me, and I don't want to piss that sadistic jerk off either, so I've been looking out for you too."

The pink haired girl gave her a grin over her shoulder. "Yeah. Keep it up would you. We're almost through this."

The blond blinked in surprise and let her jaw hang a little. "Hey. Hey! No fair! You brat. No complimenting when we're fighting!" When she whipped around to scowl at her, the girl was already gone. Her head hung and she gave a small sigh. "Why am I always the last one to leave?" She shook her head and moved off into the shadows. "Oh well. At least I always get the last word in."

OooOOooOO

That night the woods were silent and peaceful. The full moon was out, and shining on a concrete bunker beside a small pond surrounded by giant trees. There was a single door, and small slotted windows on the front of the structure. It was small, and a gathering of twenty masked figures with ninjato and cloaks stood around the opening.

"Ishimora, what do you make of this?" one of them with the mask of a mouse spoke to the man next to him.

The man was wearing a panther mask and growled. "These kids? I'm beginning to wonder if they're even human."

Another in a demon mask nodded. "I've heard my niece speak of the one who was excused, Uzumaki. She says he's some sort of soulless demon. A vampire or something."

Yugao a woman with long violet hair and a cat mask snorted. "That's foolish."

Ishimora shook his head. "They have no Chakra. My eyes don't lie. Something is unnatural about this group. I don't like it."

The demon masked man nodded. "I've heard rumors about Uzumaki as well. That thing inside him, perhaps there is something about that 'deal' he made we do not know?"

The panther mask nodded. "I agree. No one has ever done this. We've not managed to catch any of them once. Something is not right here. It's an unnatural power at work."

Yugao shook her head. "There's no way they can get past all of us."

The demon mask turned to look at her. "They've managed to do it on a regular basis for the past two weeks. I'm telling you, that Uzumaki boy has unnatural powers, and he's infected his team with whatever it is."

The man in the mouse mask gave a snort. "Who cares? I'm impressed. The Hyuuga clan relies on those eyes a bit too much I think. Look what it's done to you. They're just kids."

The demon mask growled and glared at him. "Those kids have been making fools of us all."

Yugao nodded. "Yes. Very impressive. Perhaps they've just found a way to fool the Bayakugan?"

The man in the panther mask crossed his arms. "They are dangerous."

The mouse mask spoke up. "To the Hyuuga perhaps. Perhaps it will be good for Konoha?"

"That's enough!" The leader, the ANBU with a wolf mask spoke up to the group and they all stood at attention in neat rows. "This is the most pathetic hunting party I've ever seen. You've all failed miserably for two weeks! This is your last chance to redeem yourselves!" They were facing the woods away from the bunker in front of him.

No one spoke up as he paced in front of them. "Need I remind you that none of us gets paid until we catch one of them? I've personally offered a ten thousand ryo bonus to the first one who catches one of them!" He growled and shook his fist. "That ends tonight. Ten thousand for each of them. I want them caught, no one gets through this training without a mark! No one! Not on my watch! We will not fail! You will succeed, and I will not endure this humiliation any longer!"

"Sir!" cried the group as one.

Of course, none of them noticed the pink haired girl slip into the building behind the assembly from around the side of the wall behind them.

Sasuke looked on from the bushes with Ino crouching beside him. "Heh. We might not even need our distraction."

The man continued to rant as he paced back and fourth to steel the spirit of his men. He shook his fist and laid out punishment for failure and promised reward for success for almost ten minutes.

Halfway through his speech, Sakura slipped out the door and into the brush.

Sasuke chuckled and shook his head. "Come on. We should get to the meeting place."

Ino blinked and worked her mouth. "What? You mean that was it?"

The boy nodded and slipped away. "Yeah. That was it."

"I made two clones and everything." She sounded a little annoyed.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "If you want you can run out there and let them chase you around for a while. No one is going to stop you."

She furrowed her brow and looked confused as she moved after him. "No way. Still, It wasn't easy to make two of them, and now it was just a waste. I'm kind of mad now, but not that mad."

OooOOooOO

About an hour later, the group was sitting around in the place where they'd started from two weeks before.

Sakura smiled as she handed two masks to Ino and Sasuke. "Here. This was it."

The blond girl looked at the pig mask. "Our masks?"

Sasuke grunted and wiped a smudge off the tiger's face. "Huh. All that for this? Well, I guess we wait on Anko sensei to show back up."

"Well, it's been two weeks." The pink haired kunoichi nodded and smiled at him. "She should be here any time now."

Ino nodded. "Yeah. She's right behind you."

Sasuke and Sakura's heads whipped around.

Anko had an odango stick in her mouth and was working it up and down. "You..." She looked a bit irate. "I've got half the ANBU hunting you down. I'm probably going to get in trouble for dragging so many off of duty for this. I pulled in five elite specialists, replaced five rookies with experienced hunters, and even tossed in a couple of Hyuuga. They're usually not allowed on these hunts because of the advantage they have."

The trio was looking at her with their masks in their hands.

The woman gave a sigh and shook her head. "Despite all of that, not a single capture was made. I don't believe this. I was looking forward to helping them brand you a couple of times, you brats."

Ino swallowed. "Um, that's bad?"

The woman's frown turned into a grin. "Not at all. You've done what no one has ever done before. Congratulations, you're ANBU."

Sasuke looked down at his mask. "So, we passed then?"

"Well, you've been inducted. There's a few courses you need to take, and you'll be an guard duty for a while while you finish that up. Making reports, protocol, that sort of thing." She sat down on the same tree root she last spoke to them from. "But, yeah. You're ANBU."

The man in the wolf mask appeared behind her, and twenty other cloaked figures stepped out of the shadows around them. All of them removed their masks and started clapping.

Anko cocked her head and smiled. "Congratulations. You do realized you've developed quite a reputation? You'd better live up to it, but considering how this went, I expect you will."

The man in the wolf mask smiled at them. He was in his early thirties and had slicked back hair and gray eyes. "I am Ikari Yojimbo, the leader of this hunt. I have to know. How did you get into that bunker? We never even knew you were there."

Sakura flushed. "Well, we slipped in while you were giving the others a pep talk behind your backs."

His jaw worked and his eyes went wide. "I..." His cheeks flushed and he hung his head. "I see."

Sasuke cocked his head. "You guys really don't get paid for this now?"

The man turned his eyes away. "Not a dime."

Ino cringed. "Ouch. Sorry."

The man arched his eyebrow. "Are you?"

She thought about it. "Not that I didn't get caught if that's what you mean." She rubbed at her arm and paused. "Hey. My tattoo..."

Sasuke blinked as he looked over at her. "Huh? It moved."

Sakura seemed to catch on as she inspected her arm as well. "It's on my other arm now?"

Anko nodded. "Yes. It identified you as an ANBU recruit, and transferred to your other arm once you become inducted. You're full fledged ANBU now, it won't move again. It's in it's permanent place now."

Ino nodded. "So, our training is done then? We can get some real food, and a bath?"

Sakura perked up at that, even Sasuke shifted with a little interest.

Anko grinned at them. "Sure. I'll buy you all dinner. You've earned it. Come on, we should head back to the village."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was on his back and gasping. "Heh. I've nailed it." He looked worn and near to passing out as the two men looked down at him.

Kakashi gave a nod. "Well. That went better than expected. Almost two weeks exactly and he's finished. There's not much more we can do."

Tenzo smiled at the man. "Right. You can buy me lunch for helping you out."

Kakashi turned away. "We'll meet up at Ichiraku later and eat together."

Naruto chuckled at the man's tone. He knew damn well he wasn't planning on paying for anything. "Hey. Tenzo."

The man looked down at him. "Huh?"

"I know you can't really give a specific answer or anything, but we're more than halfway done now right? I mean with the whole ANBU training thing?" The boy looked up at him with a grin on his face.

The man narrowed his eyes a little, but relaxed. "I suppose that's not too much to ask. What was the last thing you did?"

"Everyone but me should be finishing up stealth training today. I got exempt for some reason."

The man smiled at him and nodded. "Yes. I know about that." He squatted down and reached into the bag at his side. "Here."

The worn looking boy cocked his head and arched his eyebrow. The fox mask landed on his chest. "Hey. My mask?"

Tenzo gave a small chuckle and ruffled his hair. "You've passed. I'm not supposed to give this to you until tonight, but seeing as we've finished, I see no reason to wait."

The boy blinked and looked at it. "So, I'm an ANBU?"

Tenzo nodded. "Congratulations. You'll be on guard duty for a while I'm afraid. The first few months are pretty boring, and you've got to take a few classes about paperwork and protocol, doing reports and such, but you've finished your induction training."

Naruto's head flopped down. "Man, I'm pretty awesome."

Kakashi just nodded and turned away. "I shouldn't encourage him, but it's hard to argue."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Ino's next exam!


	32. Chapter 32

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

Part 32

Breaking it in.

OooOOooOO

The sky was gray over Konohagakure, clouds sweeping in over the mountains promised rain in the near future. The ground was dry and the air warm and humid as four young teens strolled into the village dressed in black and gray. Their uniforms were torn and dirty, worn with use and a month's worth of wear. Conditions had been harsh, and they stood looking out across the village with grins on their faces.

Ino gasped. "A last! Civilization!"

Sakura gave a heavy contented sigh. "Yeah. No more bugs for breakfast."

The blond hugged her arms. "Hot water! I'll never take it for granted again!"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at the gate. Anko was behind them and put her hand on his shoulder. "Thinking of running off already?"

He shook his head. "I'm just glad to be done with it. Wasn't so horrible."

Naruto nodded. "Well, don't go thinking training is finished. Ino still has to pass the Chunin exams as well."

The blond's head whipped around and she jabbed her finger at him. "Do you seriously think I'm going to fail them after that? Are you serious?"

The hooded boy seemed pleased. "Keep that attitude up. I can't slack off and let you get lazy either though. If you fail, well, I won't kill you, but..."

Her eyes drooped a bit and her finger went limp. "Yeah, yeah. I'll wish I was dead. Whatever. No way I'm gonna fail."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do now that we're back, Sasuke?"

"Spend some time alone away from loud nosy girls." He didn't look at either of them as both girls locked their eyes back on him.

Ino gave him a wink. "Well, you just let me know when you want some company." Her face fell a little more. "What about you, Uzumaki?"

He shrugged at her. "I'm going to spend some time with my son."

Ino's face fell as if she had just remembered that. "Oh. Right." Her face scrunched up as she turned away from him. She kind of felt sorry for the poor kid, having a dad like Naruto. The sadistic evil jerk that he was and all.

Sakura smiled at him. "It has been a while since you've seen Kitsuma, hasn't it? I'll bet he's grown a bit."

The blond girl gave a snort. "Suck up."

Anko shook her head. "Well, you've all got the weekend to yourselves. You know what time the office opens up on Monday. Be there on time or else. You're all dismissed, enjoy your weekend."

The four of them seemed to vanish from around her all at once in different directions. Anko gave a smirk as she continued on her way and put her hands behind her head. "I could go for some dumplings right about now."

OooOOooOO

"Boss!" Koruma grinned as Naruto walked into his home.

Masara and Kira were sitting around the table. The pair grinned at him and Masara walked up with something unfamiliar in her arms. "Hey. Daddy's home!"

Naruto looked on with wide eyes as a baby boy with blond hair was hefted into his arms. The child cooed and waved his arms. He looked to be about eight months old and had a large toothless grin on his face as he waved his arms about and grabbed at his shirt. "Huh?" He looked into the boy's blue gray eyes and smiling face. "K-Kitsuma?"

Kira giggled. "Yeah. He's grown hasn't he?"

The boy was just staring at him with his jaw hanging. "Grown? He's...he looks..."

Koruma had a wry looking grin on her face. "Just like his father. Isn't he adorable!?"

Masara ushered the boy over to sit down and he put the baby on his lap as he sat beside the table. "He's been trying so hard. He's done really well!"

The child squealed with pleasure as his father hefted him up to have a look at him. Naruto grinned and looked a bit out of it. "Y-yeah. He...does...doesn't he? He looks like me." A bit of the color had drained from his face.

The baby boy laughed and kicked his feet. Naruto put him up against his shoulder and the child grabbed at his neck holding his head up and looking around. His father was looking at him with a rather blank expression. "Hi. How have you been, Son?" He shook him and stared at his face.

Kira smiled as she played with the rim of a cup of tea. "He's been a good boy while Daddy was away. Hasn't he?"

Koruma seemed pleased. "Yes. No trouble at all."

Masara chuckled at the scene. "Well, perhaps a bit. Nothing out of the ordinary."

The two boys were looking at each other. The baby was patting and gripping at his father's face looking pleased.

Naruto had an odd grin on his face. "He's gotten bigger." He looked at the trio of kitsune. "What did I miss? Aside from the obvious?"

Kitsuma squealed with glee as his father shook him. "Da!" He swatted at the young ninja's chest. "Da! Da!" It was obvious he wasn't just making noise. It was a word.

Koruma chuckled at the expression. "Well, there's that."

"Yeah. I wish you could have been here." Kira giggled. "He started saying that about a week ago."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah. Me too." He kissed his son on the cheek at the baby was delighted.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was looking up at the moon outside his home with a cup of tea in his hand. He was a bit spaced out and deep in thought. He'd just put Kitsuma down for the night and was taking a bit of time to collect himself and relax.

Kira was sitting beside him in silence, looking up at the moon. She glanced over at him. "Is something wrong? You seem out of it?"

He shook his head and seemed to snap back to reality. "Huh? No. Nothing at all. I just...wasn't expecting..."

She seemed interested but relaxed. "Wasn't expecting?"

He looked down at the ground and leaned back against the wall of his home. "I dunno. I guess, it just sort of hit me more than I thought it would. Seeing him...look like me."

The violet haired girl nodded. "Well, he is your son."

He nodded. "I know. I just...I dunno. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't know. I don't want to sound like I didn't think of him that way before, but...taking care of him has always been, kind of like having a pet."

She cocked her head. "A pet?"

The boy scratched his head and flushed. "I never thought of him that way. I just mean...well. I'm not sure. When I saw him like that, it just sort of hit me in a way it hadn't before. I can't really explain it. I knew he was my family, my responsibility." He pushed off the wall and shook his head. "I don't know. I'm just a kid myself. Somehow, when I saw him. It made me realize that...I can't be one anymore. It's like it just hit me just how much I've got to...I dunno."

The girl gave a nod. "I think I get it. He never really looked like you before, he never looked human." She seemed to think about it.

The blond boy closed his eyes. "That's not it. I guess I just never realized that I have to really... It's not that I didn't know, but just that I never thought about..." He looked down at her as he struggled for a way to put what he was feeling. "I mean, before I just changed his litter and put food and water down for him. Then I come home after a month away and he's calling me 'Da'. I've never had to change his diaper, or feed him with a spoon, or wipe drool off his face before. It was, very..."

She put her hands on his shoulder. "Eye opening?"

The young ninja nodded. "Yeah."

The kitsune squeezed his shoulder. "Well, you'll do fine. We'll be here to help you."

He seemed to relax a little more. "Yeah, thanks. I'm grateful. I don't know if I could do this on my own."

She winked at him. "You'd be surprised. Come on. You look like you could use some sleep."

OooOOooOO

"Hey. What's up?" Ino looked a bit surprised as she walked up as her mother turned away from the door after calling her to meet the young Jounin who had come to see her.

"Are you busy?" He was wearing a clean uniform and had his hands in his pockets.

She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. "No. Why?" She crossed her arms. "Look, you can train me all you want starting Monday. I need a couple of days off."

He gave a small chuckle. "Oh. I will. Don't worry about that. This isn't about that. I owe Asuma a favor, and I need to pay him back."

The blond girl blinked and got a grin on her face. "Asuma-sensei?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I got some advice from him about something. So I owe him."

Ino chuckled. "You've got to buy Yakitori don't you?"

The Jounin gave a small sigh. "Yeah. Bringing you is part of the deal."

The girl shook her head and gave a small sigh. "You do know that it's going to be expensive? Choji is a fat bastard." She seemed amused and a little surprised.

Naruto just gave a single nod. "Yeah. I heard about that."

She tossed her hair. "Great. What time do I need to be there?"

OooOOooOO

Ino blinked in surprise as Naruto went about setting a baby in a baby chair at the short table around the Yakitori grill. "Hey. Who's that?"

The blond glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "My son."

The girl's brow furrowed. "I thought he was...furrier."

The jounin gave a small sigh. "When we left, he was." The baby was making gurgling noises and was slapping his hands on the plastic tray in front of him looking pleased.

The kunoichi smiled at the baby. "Oh! He's so cute! He looks normal! When did that happen?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes a little. He didn't say anything and relaxed as Ino started playing with the baby. Kitsuma enjoyed it and waved his hands and grabbed at her fingers as she tickled and cooed at him.

"Maybe Aunti Ino can help keep you from being a stick in the mud like your daddy? You'd like that wouldn't you?"

The blond boy gave a small sigh. "I'm sitting right here you know. Don't forget that your ass is mine come Monday." He did seem amused at the scene.

The girl went quiet and seemed to enjoy playing with the child.

"Ino!" Choji was the first to greet her as he walked in and waved his arm. Asuma and Shikamaru were both behind him.

The Nara boy had his arms crossed and gave her a nod. "Hey. Been a while."

The man seemed pleased as he ushered them all to sit around the table. They all seemed to notice the baby at once. Choji spoke up first. "Hey. You guys are doing a babysitting mission or something?"

Shikamaru arched his eyebrow. "Who's the kid?"

The blond boy had a jar of pureed carrots and a tiny plastic spoon in his hand. "This is Kitsuma."

Ino gushed. "Isn't he cute though?"

Asuma smiled. "Well, he's grown hasn't he?"

Choji looked confused. "That fox thing?"

Naruto glanced over at him. "Doesn't look quite so tasty anymore does he? He's half human you know. He's just had to learn how to look this way."

Shikamaru gave a small snort. "I can't believe Asuma sensei managed to sucker you into this."

The blond boy shrugged. "Honestly, he could have charged me more for what I got out of it. It was a good deal." He looked over at the man. "Thanks by the way."

Asuma smiled and nodded. "No problem. Just make sure you take good care of Ino."

Choji grinned at Ino. "Hey. How have you been? Has he been good to you?"

The blond scrunched her nose. "Don't put it like that! You make it sound like we're dating or something!"

Asuma seemed amused. "You're getting along well with your new team?"

Ino looked over at him and smiled. "Sasuke is great."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Well, she's not changed."

Choji narrowed his eyes. "What about Naruto? I'll kick his butt if he's been a jerk to you." He looked over at the baby. "Later, not in front of the kid or anything."

The blond girl narrowed her eyes. "He'd cream you in two seconds. I'm fine though."

The large boy looked annoyed. "No way!"

Shikamaru leaned back. "So, what have you been up to?"

Ino glanced over at him and put her hand over her tattoo. "..." She opened her mouth and closed it. "Training."

Asuma looked at her out of the corner of his eye and glanced at where her hand was with a wry grin on his face.

Choji cocked his head. "Huh?"

Naruto was feeding his son and ignoring the conversation.

The dark haired boy arched his eyebrow. "What? Just training?"

The blond girl shifted with a slight discomfort. "Um, yeah. Training...hard. Heh."

The tubby boy spoke up. "Come on. Tell us about it. What's ANBU training like? What did you have to do?"

Ino gave a small sigh. "Well..." The two boys leaned in. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Shikamaru sat back and put his hands behind his head. "Amazing. Uzumaki, actually figured out how to shut her up."

Choji pounded his fist on the table and scowled at her. "That's not funny."

Naruto was spoon feeding his son. The baby had his mouth open and was waiting for the next spoonful. A bit squirted out of his lips and Naruto scraped it off with the spoon and put it back into the baby's open mouth as he spoke. "She's not joking."

Ino gave a small shrug. "Yeah. Sorry. I can't talk about it."

Choji nodded. "So, it's secret training?" He seemed to think on it. "What's it like being an ANBU? What sort of stuff do you have to do?"

The girl scratched at her right arm. "Well, we take high rank missions, and um...well. That's about all I can say."

The large boy scratched his head. "You can't tell us anything?"

Naruto glanced at him. "Nope. We can't talk about it."

Shikamaru leaned forward. "Huh. I was hoping to learn something about the ANBU. I've never heard much of anything about them."

Asuma nodded and smiled at the two boys. "Now you know why. That's something isn't it?"

"I guess it is." The slim boy sucked on his teeth. "Huh. Can you at least tell me how you managed to shut Ino up?"

Naruto smiled at him. "I rule by fear."

Choji looked on as the food started coming. "Great! I'm starved!"

Ino snorted. "You fat dork. What would you know about starving?"

Choji munched on a piece of raw beef. "I haven't eaten in hours."

The girl scrunched her face up and looked disgusted. "Ugh. Don't eat it raw! Let it cook first. You could go a few days without eating you know."

Asuma shook his head. "You've not changed that much. How are you getting along? Are you adjusting well?"

The girl smiled at him. "It's not so bad. It's been difficult, but I'm getting on all right."

Shikamaru gave a snort. "I've never seen her this quiet before."

Naruto glanced at him. "You call this quiet?"

He shrugged. "Well, for Ino."

Asuma seemed amused. "I hear you'll be taking the Chunin exam again. I've heard it's going to be held in Kumogakure this time."

The girl blinked. "Kumogakure? I've never been to Lightning Country. Do you know what it's like?"

The man nodded. "It's a beautiful and dangerous place. The village is high in the mountains. The country gets its name from the large storms that form in the mountains."

She smiled and nodded. "Wow. I'm looking forward to it then. Sounds like it will be something to see."

Her former instructor arched his eyebrow. "Yes. It is quite a sight. Just be careful. We're at peace, but relations with Kumogakure have been strained with Kohohagakure in the past. Don't expect too warm a welcome. There are many who will not look kindly on someone from our village there."

"Yeah. I remember learning about that in the academy. Still, I don't think it will be too difficult considering. It can't be any worse than what I've been doing."

Naruto gave a short nod. "She'll be all right. She knows that she's got no choice but to pass."

Ino went quiet again and glanced at him.

Shikamaru grunted. "Still wish I knew how you did that. Normally no one can get a word in."

The blond girl growled and narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, someone had to do the talking. You two idiots would just sit there and grunt otherwise. Naruto and Sasuke are even worse. They barely talk at all."

The blond boy gave a small smirk. "You make it sound like that's a bad thing."

"Sasuke is great, but he's quiet and shy. It's been great being with him. He's really strong and awesome." Ino finally found a subject that didn't set her arm off. "I've gotten really close with him. It's been wonderful that we've formed such a strong bond. I'm looking forward to working with him..."

All of the men at the table seemed to settle in as she went on. It was something that each was accustomed too. They ate while she talked and took a piece for herself on occasion and let her voice fill the background.

Her chatter actually seemed to relax Choji and Shikamaru a little, and it was a familiar subject. Not that they were paying attention to any of it. Naruto kept feeding his son and slipped in a mouthful here and there for himself.

OooOOooOO

Hihashi Hyuuga was sitting in his home with a scowl on his face. Before him, a member of his house was kneeling, with two men behind him. All three of them were wearing ANBU uniforms, and the two behind the main branch ANBU were clutching at their arms and looking uncomfortable.

"I see." The Head of the Hyuuga clan gave a nod. "You are certain of this?" He looked at the one in the front.

The man narrowed his eyes. "It could be a great problem for our House."

Hihashi gave a heavy sigh. "So be it. As of this moment, I forbid any member of the Hyuuga clan to speak of this matter."

The main branch ANBU gave a nod. "Sir, what of your daughter? Hinata speaks often of this technique."

The elder paused and cocked his head. "Let her speak freely. She does not speak of a technique, but of demons and spirits. That could benefit us, especially if she manages to convince others of it. Doubtful, but Uzumaki has developed a reputation. Rumors like that may benefit us later, for now he is also not so easily removed or destroyed."

The three men looked up at him. "What are we to do?"

"Uchiha is also a difficult problem, but Haruno and Yamanaka..." The elder settled in and closed his eyes. "Hmmm. This must be brought under our control. We cannot allow this knowledge to spread, or our weakness to be discovered. This team must be taken care of, but his son cannot be harmed. This technique must be destroyed, and all record of it must be eliminated. It cannot be allowed to spread further. However, we cannot be tied to it."

The ninja in front of him all nodded. The Main branch member spoke up. "Then we must take care of it quietly. I shall organize a team, and we shall strike."

One of the two ninja in the back spoke up, clutching his shoulder as he did. "They'll be taking guard duty soon. A perfect opportunity."

Hihashi shook his head. "No. I'll allow nothing of the kind."

All three of the men looked surprised.

"We cannot risk our involvement in this being discovered. We'll be hiring outside help. A price of fifty thousand ryo for each of their heads. Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and Uzumaki Naruto." He stood up and turned his back to them. "We'll of course do what we can, but I permit no Hyuuga to attack them. That contract with the demon makes it too dangerous, and a great political risk as well. There can be no connection of the bounty to the Hyuuga clan, and we will do what we can to make them uncomfortable. Politics and discrediting them should be our focus for now. A direct strike would be very dangerous."

The main branch Hyuuga nodded his head and bowed. "There is an opportunity that we might take. With minimal risk."

Hihashi glanced over his shoulder and spoke up. "Go on, Iori..."

The man bowed his head. "The Chunin exam. Yamanaka Ino will be attending. If she is killed during the exam, even by a Hyuuga, no one would think anything of it. There is little doubt she will pass the first part of the exam, once the second part begins, she would be fair game, as well as in the finals, should it come to it."

The head of the clan looked away. "Neji will be attending, as well as Koga, Hinata, Nishi, and Ayume."

Iori nodded. "Yes. It wouldn't be difficult to ensure that an opportunity presents itself. If she survives to the finals, it wouldn't take much to ensure that the final exam is stacked in our favor."

The man nodded. "Very well. See to it. Do not fail me."

The man narrowed his eyes and bowed. "Of course not. Ino will die."

Hihashi gave a nod and walked away leaving the trio in the room. The two ninja behind Iori fell onto their sides clutching their arms. It would be very painful for at least two more days, and another two weeks before it faded. He moved over to help them and rolled them onto their backs. "You've both done well. I am sorry that it came to this."

OooOOooOO

A few weeks later...

It was a clear evening in Konohagakure. The full moon was shining down between the clouds as the sounds of a dying summer filled the night. Frogs were chirping with less intensity, the sounds of insects were fading as the air became cooler. Fall was near, and Team Seven was performing their duties and attending classes in the evenings.

They hadn't taken any missions, and that wasn't going to change for a while yet. They had at least two more months of what they were doing to go.

It was a room Naruto knew well, the same one that contained the scroll he'd acquired his Taiju Kage Bunshin from. The door was closed, and the hallway was empty and silent.

A shuffling came from further down the hall. A man in his forties walked by and paused as he moved by the place. He had a frown on his face and paused as his gaze turned towards the door. "What?"

With a small growl he started stomping towards hit. His eyes were the familiar white of the Hyuuga bloodline and he looked more and more irate as he moved towards the door. "What is the meaning of this? What's going on here?" He growled as he looked about the hall with the veins on his eyes bulging as the jutsu worked. "There should be a guard here. Ever since that traitor..." He put his hand on the doorknob and froze.

"Going somewhere?" There was a hand grabbing his wrist preventing him from opening the door.

The man gasped and jumped back clutching his chest. His eyes were wide and he ended up on his rear in the hall. Two ANBU were looking down at him, one with a tiger mask with an open mouth in a roaring pose. He had his arms crossed and was looking on from in front of the nearest window. The other, the one who had stopped him was wearing a Boar mask and had her arms crossed over her chest.

The female spoke up. "Only the Hokage is allowed in here."

The tiger mask seemed relaxed and was watching him.

The man on the ground sputtered. "What? Where did you come from? Do you have any idea who I am?"

The tiger masked male spoke up. "Are you the Hokage?"

The man glared at him. "Do I look like her?"

The boar mask shrugged. "Then you're not getting into that room."

"You'd best learn your place. I will have you strapped to the walls and begging for mercy. I am Hyuuga Akido, the Archives Master and head Dean of the Konohagakure Academy." The man growled.

The male pushed off the wall. "We don't answer to you."

The girl nodded. "Right. If you're not the Hokage, we don't care. Sorry Akido-sensei. You're not getting through."

The man frowned as he stood up and dusted himself off. "I know that voice. Yamanaka!" He looked her up and down. "What are you doing? Posing as an ANBU is a serious..."

The tiger mask ANBU stepped closer and kept a little distance between himself and the man. "We're not academy students. I'm afraid your authority as Dean doesn't matter. We've got orders, and you're not getting past us without the Hokage's word."

The man looked over at him as a dawning crossed his face. "Uchiha? What are you two brats doing here? Where are the guards that are supposed to be here? You two are in serious trouble. Where is Kakashi? When he finds out about this the two of you will be changing diapers and digging up potatoes for the rest of your careers!"

The pair didn't move and didn't attempt to leave. Sasuke gave a small shrug. "We don't answer to Kakashi."

The man balled up his fists. "Wait, something is off here. What's wrong with you?" He couldn't see their chakra.

Ino cocked her head. "Wrong?"

The man growled and stepped back, putting his hands up and preparing to subdue them both. "I'm afraid you're both coming with me. You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Sasuke gave a small sigh. "Great."

The girl hung her head a little. "Well, we can't just leave. We're going to have to stop him."

Akido got a smirk on his face. "You stop me? You don't seem to be getting this. You're not going to escape."

OooOOooOO

Tsunade frowned as she walked down a now familiar hallway and paused. Akido was sitting in the middle of the hallway with duct tape over his mouth tied by his hands and feet. Otherwise, the place was empty and silent. "What on earth?"

The man was muttering under the tape and looked upset. He wasn't hurt, but looked to be very angry. She ripped the tape from his mouth and he started shouting. "Those brats! Unbelievable! I demand that they be brought to justice at once! Posing as ANBU!"

The woman gave a heavy sigh. "Calm down. What happened?"

The man was livid. "Calm down? I'll tell you what happened! I found the restricted archives unguarded last night, and got jumped by two brats posing as ANBU."

The woman cocked her eyebrow. "You got jumped?" She looked towards the door. "All right you two, come on out."

The two ANBU were standing on either side of the door almost as soon as the words left her mouth. "Ma'am!" They chimed together.

She gave a heavy sigh and rubbed at her temples. "What happened?"

Ino shrugged. "We were guarding the door like we were ordered, and he attacked us."

Sasuke nodded. "He tried to 'detain' us, so we were forced to subdue him."

"They aren't supposed to be..." He trailed off as he realized that the woman didn't look very upset. "Wait. What?"

The woman smirked down at him. "They're supposed to be here. I assigned them this post myself. What were you doing trying to get in there?"

The man worked his mouth open and closed. "What? I wasn't! It's supposed to be guarded, and there was no one here!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him. "You couldn't see them?" She glanced at the two silent ANBU. "Well, that's impressive." The man had a reputation among the students of the Academy. Nothing got by Hyuuga Akido, he saw everything. It was said that he didn't just have eyes on the back of his head, but also on the sides.

The man flushed and growled. "It was late, and I'd had a long day. That doesn't excuse this!"

The woman glanced at him. "It doesn't need to be excused. They did what they were supposed too. I suppose that you've suffered enough. Leave my ANBU alone and forget about this."

Akido rubbed at his wrists as she untied him. He stood up, and looked at the pair. "ANBU? Huh. I figured he might make it in a few years. That one surprised me." He glanced at Ino. "Well, I suppose I should congratulate you. Sorry for the confusion." He didn't seem happy as he turned away, but was less upset than he had been.

Tsunade watched him walk away and turned to the pair. "Carry on." She left them standing and guarding the door.

Ino gave a small sigh. "Well, that was more interesting than usual. Too bad we can't make out while we stand here. It's usually pretty boring, and it would pass the time."

Sasuke glanced over at her. "Yeah. A real shame.' His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

She tossed her hair. "Don't try and act like you wouldn't enjoy it."

The boy gave a small sigh. He hoped he'd end up with Naruto on his next guard duty. He knew how to shut up and just stand there. "Aren't you supposed to be studying?"

The girl's shoulders slumped. "I can only read so much before my eyes start hurting. I spent half the night going over my old textbooks."

He grunted in response. "Well, we've still got a couple more hours until we're relieved. I'm not interested in spending it talking."

Ino glanced over at him. "Oh well. At least I get you to myself this way. Though, I have to admit I don't get why Sakura gets to be exempt from guard duty."

The boy leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Because she has to study to be a medic instead. Would you rather be doing that?"

The blond shrugged. "I wouldn't mind. She's not smarter than me you know. I had the second best grades in our class. I was thinking of becoming a medic before I got transferred."

Sasuke didn't seem interested and seemed to vanish. "Whatever." After that day, he wouldn't be with her on guard duty for another week. Naruto would be stuck with her for the next few days. If he was lucky, he'd end up on his own, or with another ANBU who wasn't on his team. "Get some studying done. If you fail, he'll be a pain in the ass to all of us for months."

She smiled in his general direction. "Oh! How cute! You're worried about me!"

OooOOooOO

The four ANBU of Team Seven walked out of a small classroom in the Academy. It was evening, and their class didn't start until the end of the day for the regular Academy students was over. They popped their backs and looked stiff and tired as a group.

Ino grunted as she pushed her arms over her head. "Oh man. I had no idea that being an ANBU would take this much paperwork."

Naruto looked a little bleary eyed. "You think you've got it bad? I'm a Captain. I've got to do three times as much."

Sakura gave a heavy yawn. "Man. I need sleep. I'm going to pass out as soon as I get home."

The blond kunoichi gave a small snort. "Must be nice. We've all got guard duty again."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah. I'll see you later. I've got to report to my post." He walked away and left the three of them together.

Sakura gave a small sigh. "Training to be a medic is a lot more tiring that guard duty. It's just less boring. You've not got it so bad."

Ino nodded. "I know. I get to spend the whole night with Sasuke all the time!"

The raven haired boy waved over his shoulder as he started walking away. "Not tonight. I'm on my own on the south wall. It should be pretty relaxing. See you, I've got to report in."

Sakura frowned at the blond girl. "Yeah. Well, don't think I don't know that you're not exactly out on a date."

Her rival stuck out her tongue. "You're just jealous. It's the next best thing! I get to sit and talk with him all night, at least a couple times a week. It's great."

The pink haired girl was jealous but she was also having trouble keeping her eyes open. "I'm too tired to be mad at you right now. I'm going home, and you're not hanging out with him tonight." She started shuffling away. "That slave driver. If I'd known it was going to be this much trouble I might have just left you in my head and said to hell with dragging her back here."

Ino gave a heavy sigh and looked up at the clouds overhead. It looked like rain, and she was stuck on the northern wall opposite Sasuke. The northern wall didn't have any cover, and she'd be exposed once the rain started. "It's going to be a long night." She was also stuck on her own, with no one to talk too.

OooOOooOO

It had been a little less than a month since Team Seven had returned to Konohagakure. Life had settled in a bit for them as a group. They didn't see much of their friends. They spent most of their day sleeping, and only had a couple of hours before they had to leave for class once they woke up most of the time.

They had a day off during the week and that day was one such day. Naruto was sitting at home with his son in his lap. Iruka was sitting across from him with tea in his hands.

"They seem like decent guys. I've met them a couple of times when I went to Ichiraku." The man was smiling as the blond boy sat the baby in his lap. Kitsuma was fumbling about playing with a few blocks on the table top.

"Yeah. They look after Kitsuma when I'm away. It's nice to know I don't have to worry about him that much." The boy seemed pleased. "I've got to get Ken back still. I owe him for something that jerk pulled on me a few weeks ago."

The man nodded. "Well, you seem to have it pretty good here." He looked around at the place. The three beautiful kitsune were lounging about the room. "What's with all the boxes?"

Naruto looked around and grinned. "Huh? Oh. I'm workin on something. I'm gonna open a place up. A couple places actually."

The man seemed surprised. "Place?"

"Yeah. A bar, with a massage parlor." The young blond seemed pleased. "It was the fox's idea." He jerked his thumb over at the three lounging girls.

Iruka's tea sprayed and he coughed. "Huh?"

The boy shrugged. "Well, they said they wanted to open a place like that up. Always had trouble before because of property deeds and legal stuff. Since I'm human, I can get em the permits and stuff they need. I get a cut of the profits, but they're paying for most of it. I've got places like that going up in four places all around Fire Country." He stood up and walked over to a large box near the wall. It was about ten feet long, and five feet high, but also not very thick. He flipped it open revealing a neon sign inside.

Iruka looked at it with wide eyes. It was a half naked woman kicking her legs with fox ears and a tail. She was lounging inside the words 'The Fox Den'. He worked his mouth. "You're opening...a place like this?"

The boy shrugged. "Yeah. Why not? It'll be useful. The Kitsune will run everything for me. Don't got to do much of anything, and I won't ever have to worry about making ends meet or keeping Kitsuma fed."

The man set his tea down. "Um, Naruto. You're aware that this isn't just a bar? I mean I realize you're young and all, but a massage parlor on a place like this is..."

The boy shrugged. "Prostitutes. Yeah. So? All the kitsune I've ever met are total sluts. It's no big deal. Besides, working is entirely voluntary. None of em have to do it, and they can leave anytime they want. It'll be great."

Iruka sat down at the table and ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh. So, you do get it."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. If this works out, I'm gonna open a few more outside of Fire Country."

Iruka furrowed his brown and gave a small sigh. "You're a little young for this sort of business. It could be more dangerous than you think."

The young Jounin nodded. "Well, to be honest. They wanted to do it. I'm just signing my name so they can." He looked over at the foxes. "I'll be too busy with my duties to worry about it."

Iruka gave a small nod. "If you say so. A massage parlor?"

Naruto gave a grin and nodded. "Yeah, and live nude entertainment in the bar."

The man scratched his head and looked skeptical. "Are you sure about this? I mean, I'm not so sure this is a good idea. If the Hokage finds out she might be upset."

"Nah. I just had to put a few slot machines, a couple of pachinko machines, and a couple of gambling tables in and she was happy." The boy shrugged and grinned. "The kitsune are really good at massages. You want to try? They don't mind."

The man frowned at him. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Naruto arched his eyebrow. "You sure? It's no big deal. You don't have ta do anything. It's really relaxing and they know what they're doing."

"W-well, I..."

OooOOooOO

After he left and started home Iruka wasn't sure how he'd managed to get talked into getting a massage. He was even less sure how he'd managed to get talked into a 'happy ending'. The redhead was very persuasive. He scratched his head as he looked over his shoulder at the house and had a bit of a wide eyed stare. "Well, I guess I can't say I don't think it will work." He gave a small sigh and continued walking home.

OooOOooOO

It was a Sunday morning. Ino gave a small sigh as she walked into the Academy. Their classes for the ANBU had ended. Naruto and Sasuke both still had guard duty, but she was now exempt.

As it was, she was standing in a hallway crowded with Genin. They were moving towards one of the classrooms, each holding a paper to register themselves for the coming exams.

There was a bit of chatter among the Genin gathered. Something had occurred at Ichiraku a few days ago. Something to do with a pressure cooker, a large amount of marshmallows, and an explosion of feathers. No one was sure of the details, but it had been an awful mess, and there were reports of something that was described as the 'ghost of a giant duck' that had appeared and vanished a few times.

She ignored it and walked into the room. Anko was sitting behind one of the desks looking bored. "Hey. Yamanaka. How are you?"

"Fine, Anko-sensei." She handed her the sheet.

The woman nodded as she took it and looked up at her. "Report to Uzuki Yugao. She'll be acting as your Jounin proctor for the exam. She'll introduce you to your team and give you the details."

The blond nodded and walked out of the room. "Yugao?" She knew the name, and sure enough, a violet haired woman in her twenties was standing with two older boys she didn't know near one of the walls at the back of the hall. The other Genin were filing into the room behind her in teams of three.

The blond girl walked up and caught the woman's attention. "Miss Uzuki? I am..."

The woman gave her a smirk. "I know who you are. Yamanaka Ino, this is Hidori Ryoji, and Otori Genji."

Ryoji had two strips of bandages over the bridge of his nose and a large spiked mace strapped to his back. He was four years older than she was, and his arms were almost as big around as her waist. He had short spiked black hair and was about a foot taller than her. "Great. Some kid." He was dressed in long black pants with the shins wrapped up and a fishnet shirt.

Genji frowned at her. He had long brown hair and a slender but fit build. He wasn't carrying any weapons and had bandages wrapping his fists and forearms. He had baggy brown shorts and had bandages wrapped around his ankles and shins as well. He was wearing a leather vest and didn't look very pleased to see her. He was five years older. "She doesn't look like much does she?"

Ryoji gave a snort. "You'd better not drag us down brat."

The blond girl growled a bit. "Great. Assholes."

Yugao seemed amused. "Enough. From now on, I'm Yugao-sensei. You three will do what I say, when I say it."

Ino gave a nod. "Yes, Yugao-sensei."

Genji gave a small snort. "Just tell us where to be and when we need to be there."

The larger of the two boys snorted at Ino. "Just what I need. To carry some skinny weak little brat through the exams. Look at her, sucking up already."

The woman glanced at the blond girl. She seemed cool and collected, but also annoyed with the pair she'd been stuck with. "Tomorrow at seven we'll be meeting at the main gate to start the journey. Be aware, we'll be traveling through the mountains, and it's a long and difficult trip. You also cannot bring more than you need. We'll be guests in Kumogakure, and they aren't exactly a friendly village. You will be on your best behavior. If you are not, I cannot guarantee your safety."

The kunoichi gave a serious looking nod. "Yes, Yugao-sensei."

The woman smiled at her. She knew damn well that Ino was the strongest Genin in the group. "No need to be quite so formal." She was standing at attention and acting like an ANBU subordinate to their superior. "You two are dismissed. Ino, I need a word with you."

Ryoji frowned at the blond and bumped her as he turned away. "Great. Teacher's pet already."

Genji rubbed his thumb across his nose and chuckled. "She'll fall in line once things get started. As long as she can stay out of the way she'll be fine."

The larger boy grunted. "Are you kidding? Look at her. She's not going to be able to keep up. We're going to have to drag her around and protect her until the finals."

Ino watched them leave and moved a bit further away from the crowd after Yugao. The woman turned to look at her. "I know about you of course."

The young kunoichi nodded. "I remember you as well."

The woman blinked and seemed surprised. "Do you now?"

Ino gave her a wry grin. "You were hard to get away from. Even the Hyuuga didn't give us such a hard time."

She smiled at the girl and narrowed her eyes. "Well, don't expect flattery to help you out here."

The blond girl nodded. "I know. You can't really help us in the exam anyway. We'll be on our own, and I have to put up with both of those jerks."

The woman nodded. "Be gentle with them. Don't forget you need them both to get to the finals. The first two portions of the exam must be completed as a team."

Ino nodded once. "I remember that."

Yugao seemed pleased. "Good. Don't forget it. Those two have a bit of a reputation for bad attitudes. I'm pretty sure it's why they're still Genin while their teammates have all moved on. I'm pretty sure they ended up with you because someone wanted you to meet them."

The young kunoichi nodded. "I can venture a guess. Naruto and Anko sensei are both sadists."

The woman chuckled. "Yes. Well, I'm not. So no worries. I'm pretty sure it was Anko, and just to let you in on it, you're not the one she's punishing by putting them with you. I'm to understand they did something to annoy her in the last exam. I'm not sure what though. You're not stuck with them, they're stuck with you. You're expected to take charge of this team and keep those two idiots in line."

The blond girl got an evil looking grin on her face as she looked over her shoulder at the direction they had gone and narrowed her eyes. "No problem."

Yugao seemed pleased. "Very good. Now, I'm sure you're aware already, but I feel I should remind you that you're not allowed to tell anyone that you're an ANBU. You're just another Genin for this exam. Though, technically, you outrank both of those idiots. They're aggressive and they both have bad attitudes. They're still your teammates. So keep them in line, but look out for them as well."

Ino's face fell a little but she nodded. "Yes, Yugao-sensei."

The woman gave a small sigh. "Well, if you play this right you'll have fun. The exam is serious business, but that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it. It should be easy for someone with your level of training. Just a word of caution, both of them have taken the exam four times. Neither one of them made it to the finals more than once. So, don't expect them to make it without your help either."

"I guess I'd better make them." Ino gave a nod and frowned a little more.

Yugao nodded. "That's the spirit. Dismissed. I'll see you on Monday."

OooOOooOO

Monday had been miserable and frustrating, but Tuesday evening had been good for Yamanaka Ino. The day before and most of that day up to the evening had been one long testosterone induced complaint and insult. The group had stayed on the move and Ryoji and Genji were both jerks, they teased and chided Ino. Called her a bean pole, kept going on about carrying her, complained about her inability to keep up, and went on that she was slowing them down. They were still most of a day away from the border to Lighting Country, and another three days from Kumogakure.

The two boys were covered in sweat and looking winded. Each of them was pushing themselves and straggling. They weren't on the verge of collapse just yet, but they were both struggling to keep up and it was obvious they were reaching the end of their energy. They had both gotten very quiet about two hours before, and were both gasping for breath.

Ino on the other hand was still looking quite neat and fresh in her violet dress and thigh high leg warmers. She looked back and frowned. "What the hell are you two idiots doing? We've still got at least ten miles until we make camp! Pick it up would you?"

Yugao had set a distance to meet before they made camp. It was dark and she looked up at the sky. "I expected to be there before sundown. We're behind schedule."

"Maybe I should carry them?" Ino looked at the two young men with her hand on her hip. "How are we supposed to make it before the exams start with these two slugs dragging us down?"

Ryoji growled. "Shaddup! We're fine. Keep going."

Genji glared at her. "Like I'd need you to carry me."

The blond girl turned up her nose. "You'd better hope I don't have too. I'm going to make you regret it if you get my clothes all dirty and sweaty because I've got to drag your worthless lazy butts to camp. If we're late and miss the exam because of you two slow bastards I'm gonna gut you both!"

Yugao gave a heavy sigh. "She's right. We've got a schedule to keep you know. We've got to make up that time. Don't forget, the mountains are ahead of us. It's going to slow us down and we can't expect to make up time on them if we can't even keep to the schedule here."

Of course, neither of the two kunoichi mentioned they were a and a half day ahead of any of the other Genin teams from Konoha. There were seven total attending the exams that year, and none of them were rookie teams. They were also taking a route that went over rougher terrain.

For Ino and Yugao, it wasn't much to speak of. Both of them had dealt with far worse. For the two Genin, it was hell.

Ryoji growled and panted. "Are they human?"

Genji gave a snort. "Shut up and move it. No way I'm gonna let a couple of girls show me up."

OooOOooOO

Genji grunted as he struggled to hold his eyes open and frowned. "What time is it?"

Ryoji was standing next to him. They were halfway up the side of a large mountain. About a thousand feet above them was a snow capped peak. The sun had not risen yet, and they both looked to be almost sleeping on their feet.

Ino and Yugao were both fresh and ready to go. They had already finished a cup of coffee and had stowed away their gear. The blond girl smiled at them. "Why, it's six a.m. We let you sleep in a whole hour."

Yugao nodded. "Right. We're only halfway up the mountain. We've still got a lot of ground to cover today. So we need to get moving."

Ino gave a small sigh and looked up the side of the slope. "I still say we could have made it last night. We could have spent the night on the peak, and we'd have a great view of the sunrise in a couple of hours."

Yugao smiled at her. "Well, I'm sure we could have. I didn't want to leave the boys to die though."

Ryoji looked like he'd been annoyed in his sleep. "We're fine. Let's go. We could have made it to the peak, but you two looked like you needed a rest."

Genji grabbed the back of his shirt to keep him from stepping off the side of a large drop off. "Idiot. Just shut the hell up. You'll piss those crazy chicks off and make it worse."

Ryoji nodded and stretched his arms as he yawned. "Let's just get this stupid exam over with. Then the two bionic women can run around the woods all they want together and leave us the hell out of it."

OooOOooOO

Two kunoichi and two sweaty stumbling ninja looked on at the great steps that they'd entirely bypassed and moved down into the clouds below. Before them was the towering walls and spires of Kumogakure.

Ryoji looked at the stone steps. "Wait. There were stairs? We could have taken the stairs to get here?"

Genji looked just as annoyed and glared at the two women. "What? Are you kidding me?"

Yugao forced a blush on her face and tried to look innocent. "Oh! I was just thinking we should have run into them by now. I guess we came up the wrong side of the mountain."

Ino crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Huh. Oh well. We've made it anyway. No point in complaining about it now. I guess it would have been easier."

The violet haired woman nodded. "Wouldn't it though? Oh well. I guess taking a slightly more difficult path might have done us some good."

The blond shrugged. "Didn't seem all that hard to me, but whatever."

Yugao gave a small sigh and put her hand up to her cheek. "Oh my. How embarrassing. I must have gotten completely turned around somewhere. I wonder when it was? I knew those stairs were there, I guess we weren't as behind as I thought we were. I really was thinking we should run into them any time now."

Ino grinned. "Hey. Come on let's hurry up and jog the rest of the way there. I want to have a closer look!"

"Well, I don't see why not. It's a bit chilly up here and I suppose we could warm up by keeping our pace up." Yugao seemed pleased with the idea and followed after her.

Ryoji and Genji both looked at them as they practically skipped through the snow away from them. "What the hell...is wrong with them?" They both said it, Ryoji staring and Genji finishing.

Ino turned and jogged backwards. "Hey! You jerks better keep up! I'd better not have to go back there and drag you!"

They both started stumbling after the pair looking irate. "This sucks." Muttered Genji.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Exam begins!


	33. Chapter 33

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 33

Ino's test

OooOOooOO

There was a heavy mist all around the Leaf Genin as they walked up to the gates of the city in the clouds. The air was moist and the entire village was within swirls of white clouds at the top of the highest mountain. On the peak of the largest was a huge palace, a round tower like structure that towered over the rest of the village and was only partially visible within the clouds.

"Wow." Ino looked impressed.

"Quiet down." Yugao was in front of the group.

Genji and Ryoji both hung back and looked about in silence as they entered the gates.

A Kumo Jounin walked up and frowned at them. "Konoha nin? What's your business?" He was a large surly looking man with dark skin and shaggy white hair.

The violet haired woman stood in a relaxed posture. "We're here for the Chunin exams."

The man nodded. "We weren't expecting anyone to arrive before tomorrow."

Genji growled a little. "We're early? Are you kidding?"

Ryoji looked a bit annoyed as well. "After all of that about us being late?"

Ino glanced back at them both. "Well, we did make it on time. Quit complaining."

The Kumo nin grunted and nodded. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying." He glanced over his shoulder as he turned away. "Welcome to Kumogakure. You're permitted to access the main street and your lodgings. There's shops and businesses there that can see to your needs. You're welcome to enjoy our hospitality and our merchants will welcome your business. There's a nine o'clock curfew. I suggest that be in your rooms before then. If we catch you somewhere you're not supposed to be, you'll be arrested."

The group followed him down the main street. There were a few places to eat, and assorted shops along the route they took. After a short while of walking in silence, they came to a large building. Their guide opened the door and the group entered. Inside was what seemed like dorm rooms. The Kumo nin spoke up. "Two to a room. Men and women are not permitted to bunk together. I'm sure you can work that out on your own." He indicated the two doors closest to the entrance. "There's a toilet in each room, and showers down the hall to the left. Right side for men, left for women. Enjoy your stay, and don't cause trouble." With that said, he left.

Ino found herself standing beside Yugao and looking at a pair of simple beds. "At last, a bed." She seemed pleased and sat down on the edge of the one on the right.

The woman smiled. "I guess we'll be rooming together then." She looked out the window and found a nice view of the mountains. "Well, we can't see much of the village from here."

Ino stood up and looked. "It's pretty though. We're really high up, and it's a good view of the mountains."

The Jounin nodded. "Yes. This should suit our needs nicely."

The girl grinned and flopped down on her bed with her arms spread. "When do the exams start?"

Yugao cocked her head. "Three days from now. Most of the others should arrive some time today or tomorrow. I'm kind of surprised we're the first. You can expect this place to fill up fast. There are a lot of rooms, and I expect most of them will be filled."

The blond gave a small sigh. "There should be a lot of people from other villages here."

The woman nodded. "Yes, we should be careful. It will be easy to start trouble with so many young nin from different villages."

Her charge grunted. "I'm gonna have to keep an eye on those two jerks aren't I?"

Yugao smiled and nodded. "I'm afraid so. They've not got the best tempers. You need to stay with them. None of you are permitted to wander about here alone. You need to stay in your team groups at all times." She sat down and relaxed on her bed across from Ino.

The blond girl nodded. "I want to check out a few of those shops before we leave. I'm gonna have to drag those two idiot guys around I guess. I hope they don't whine too much."

The Jounin smiled and nodded. "Why don't you go ahead and get them? Have a look around, don't forget, we'll probably be here for a while. So, don't go spending all of your money at once."

Ino kicked her feet and sat up. "Yeah. I want to check this place out." She stood up and walked out of the room.

Both boys were sitting on their beds with the doors open. They were wrestling about with Genji rubbing on Ryoji's head. "Bastard."

"It's mine!"

"What the hell are you two doing?" Ino had her hand on her hip and frowned at them.

"We're deciding who gets what bed." Ryoji pushed Genji off of him and looked over at her.

The brown haired boy nodded. "Yeah, the winner gets the bed closest to the window."

Ino blinked and looked between the beds. They were both an equal distance from the window and the door. "You dopes. Quit fooling around and come on. We're going to have a look around."

The black haired boy scratched at the bandages on his face. "Huh? So go."

His long haired companion nodded. "Yeah. We're not going to stop you. Get lost."

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "We're all going. We have to stick together, and we're not allowed to go anywhere on our own."

Ryoji gave a grunt. "Jeez, you're sure bossy. Who the hell put you in charge?"

Genji crossed his arms and looked away. "Yeah. Why the hell should we listen to you?"

Neither of them was quite sure what happened, but within an instant Ino was between them, pulling on their ears and dragging them out the door. "I'm in charge because I said so. I want to go shopping, and I don't care if I have to tie you both up and drag you."

"Ouch! Quit it!" Genji screeched.

"Let go you crazy bitch!" cried Ryoji.

She shoved them both out the door and stood with her hands on her hips. "Just shut up and come on."

The long haired boy rubbed at his ear. "I don't want to go shopping with some bratty girl!"

His black haired companion was doing the same thing. "Yeah. Talk about boring."

Ino frowned at them. "Boring is better than painful. Come on. I can't go without you, and I'm not sitting in these dorms for the next three days."

The black haired boy growled. "If I didn't need you for the exams I'd clobber you."

She put her face up to his and glared into his eyes. "I'd destroy you. Now shut up and come on." She grabbed their arms and pulled them towards the exit.

Yugao stood in the doorway to her room and smiled. She gave a small wave as they passed. "Bye, stay out of trouble. Try to enjoy yourselves!"

OooOOooOO

Ryoji and Genji were standing in the street outside a small shop looking bored. The black haired boy gave a grunt as a soccer ball bounced off the side of his head. "Ouch! Hey!"

A young boy of about ten rushed up. "Sorry. We didn't mean..." He was with a group of several other kids.

The large boy grabbed his shirt and lifted him up. "You little punk! What do you think you're doing?"

The kid looked frightened and worried. "I'm sorry, we didn't see you! It was an accident!"

Genji snorted. "Kids like you should be more careful or you might get hurt."

"Hey! You jerk! Let him go!" one of the Kumo kids cried out in alarm.

Ryoji shook boy by his shirt and growling as he rubbed at his head. "You little punk! That hurt!"

The child was shaking and the ball was resting on the ground nearby. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean..."

Genji frowned. "You should be careful, we don't take kindly to..."

Both the Genin were silenced as a yellow and black blur formed between them. They both landed face first on the ground in rather ungraceful heaps while holding the back of their heads.

There group of young Kumo village children of varying age standing about the scene gasped and jumped as they were startled. Ino was cradling the boy they were harassing in her arms gently. She set him down and glanced over her shoulder at the pair on the ground. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to get arrested?" She set the boy down and handed him the ball. "Sorry about those jerks. Don't worry, they won't be bothering you again."

He looked up at her with wide eyes and nodded. "T-thanks. I'm sorry. We were just..."

Ino smiled and patted his head. The children all had dark skin and light colored hair, most of Kumo's villagers looked that way. "No need. They owe you an apology." She picked the two boys up by the ears and twisted them. "Don't you?"

The two males both cringed in pain. Ryoji grunted and squeezed his eyes shut. "Ouch! Sorry!"

Genji was in the same position. "Jeez, we were just messing around! Sorry!"

The girl let them go and smiled at the kids as they all looked amused at the scene and rushed off to play again. She shoved both her teammates aside and picked up a brown bag and a few boxes from the ground. "You jerks. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Genji frowned and glared at her. "We were just having a bit of fun. No big deal."

The black haired boy didn't look pleased either. "Yeah. Mind your own business. We were just giving him a little scare. It's not like we were gonna..."

She slugged him in the gut. "You think bullying little kids is fun? You asshole! You'd better behave yourselves."

Ryoji snorted and rubbed at his belly. "Or you'll what? Tell on us?"

The long haired boy crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah. I'm getting sick of putting up with this you know. I've been nice so far cause you're a girl, but you're pushing your luck you brat."

Ino's eyebrow twitched. "Tell on you? Don't be stupid. If you get in trouble, and I can't take the exam because you were being stupid, I'll kill you both." She moved fast and had her arms around their shoulders while pulling their heads up to her chest with a kunai knife at each of their throats.

The pair looked very nervous and froze. Genji growled. "You..."

She released them and stepped back. "Look you two slugs. I'm in charge here. If you don't like it, do something about it. I dare you." She spun her kunai around her fingers and put them away.

Genji gasped, she was wearing a new dress, a black Chinese style garment with no sleeves and violet trim. She also had a pair of purple forearm warmers and shin warmers. That wasn't what caught his attention. "Y-yeah."

Ryoji frowned at him. "What? What the hell are you..."

The brown haired boy frowned at him. "Shut the hell up. She'll kill us."

The black haired boy frowned. "Huh? You wuss. She's fast, so what? She's still just a brat."

"That brat is an ANBU." Genji growled as he looked over at her.

Ino tensed up and looked over her shoulder at him. She didn't say anything and balled up her fist.

Ryoji blinked. "Huh?"

Genji narrowed his eyes. "What's an ANBU doing at the exams?"

Ino looked away. "I don't know what you mean."

Ryoji looked confused. "Yeah. Neither do I, don't be stupid. She's not..."

The brown haired boy stood tall. "My old man has one of those tattoos too you know." He pointed at her shoulder. "I know what it is, only ANBU have them."

She drew a kunai and turned to face them while holding her packages in her other arm. "Shut up, or I'll kill you."

Genji tensed up and growled. "What's going on here? If this is some kind of mission, we have a right to know what we're getting dragged into."

Ino put her weapon away. "I'm a Genin. I'm here to take the exams like everyone else. You don't need to know any more than that. All you two idiots need to know is that we're not going to fail, and I'm in charge. Got that?"

Ryoji dusted his pants off. "Whatever. Look, so what about the stupid tattoo? What's the big deal?"

Ino glared at the brown haired boy. "It's not a big deal. It's just a tattoo. Don't worry about it, and don't worry about me. Worry about passing the exams."

The black haired boy grunted. "So, are you an ANBU? Who cares anyway? You're still a brat."

She looked away and shifted her packages. "If I was, what makes you think I could tell you? Don't worry about it, we're here for the exams and that's it. You don't need to worry about anything else, and that's all I'm concerned with too."

Genji looked away. "That woman, Yugao. She's an ANBU too. I didn't think anything of it, but..."

Ino leveled her eyes on him. "Shut the hell up would you? Look, If I am, no one is supposed to know. Keep your mouth shut and worry about the exam and we won't have any problems. My mission is to pass the exams and become a Chunin, and you've got no idea how bad it would be if I fail. So keep it to yourself and just forget about it. It doesn't matter, and I've got to pass just like you two."

The boy crossed his arms and didn't look at her. "Fine. Whatever."

She hefted her packages and started back towards the dorms. "Come on. It's getting late, and we should get back."

OooOOooOO

Yugao smiled as Ino sat down and gave a frustrated sigh. "Those jerks."

The woman chuckled. "A handful are they?"

The blond girl frowned. "I can handle them. That jerk Genji recognized my tattoo."

The violet haired Jounin nodded. "Yes. Well, I suppose that's not a surprise. I've worked with his father before." She didn't seem worried. "I'll have a talk with him."

Ino shook her head. "I can deal with it. It's no big deal, and I've already told him not to worry about it and keep his mouth shut."

The woman nodded. "All right. I'll let you handle it. I'm glad to see you're taking charge."

The blond grinned. "Yeah. They're both stupid and male. I can handle them no problem. I've just got to keep an eye on them so they don't do something stupid and get arrested. I'll kill them both if I fail because they're idiots."

Yugao chuckled at that. "Well, try not to be too hard on them. I did tell Genji's father I'd look after him."

Ino nodded. "Yeah. I know. I just wish I didn't have to slap them around to stop them from being so stupid. They're catching on though."

The woman nodded and seemed pleased. "All right. Just don't forget you need them for the exams."

The blond girl flopped down on the bed and nodded. "Yeah. I know."

Yugao smiled. "That's a cute dress. Did you pick it up in town?"

The girl sat up and smiled as she looked down at it. "Yeah. I found this little shop. They had a few things I really liked. I found a nice pair of shoes I'm thinking about picking up later. I'm not sure if I have anything to go with them though, so I'm still debating."

The woman looked interested. "Really? What's it called? I might check it out later while you're taking the exam."

OooOOooOO

Kurenai stood with the members of her team, Shino, Kiba, and Hinata. They were entering the gates of Kumo and looking about as they followed after the same Jounin that had greeted Yugao's team. He'd given his speech and was walking them through the streets. The Leaf Jounin hung back a little and stood amongst her team. "Listen, I know that I've said this before, but I want to make clear. Under no circumstances is Hinata to be left unsupervised."

The Hyuuga girl was scratching under her forehead protector. She looked uncomfortable and frowned. "I'll be all right."

Shino glanced at her. "We can't assume that. There's not much danger because of the exams, but we should still be on guard. Everyone knows that Kumo is very interested in getting their hands on the Byakugan."

Kiba gave a rough snort. "Don't worry. We'll be around. No one is going to hurt Hinata."

The girl smiled. "Thanks. I feel better." She was a little nervous, but not any more than usual when entering a strange place. The mark on her forehead under her forehead protector was itching. It was a false curse seal, a precaution that her father had taken before she left Konoha. It wouldn't rub off or fade until it was removed when she returned to Konoha. They weren't sure how much Kumo knew about the seal, but they were aware that they knew of it, and what happened if they eyes were removed from a Hyuuga that bore it.

Kurenai smiled at her team. "Very good. Now, come. It's getting late, and I'm afraid I don't want you wandering about the village without me. Despite that they might permit it. We'll be remaining in the dorms, none of the Hyuuga attending are permitted to wander about the village."

Kiba gave a snort. "I guess that means most of Konoha's teams will be stuck inside with us. Almost every team has a Hyuuga on it this time. Kind of unusual."

Shino nodded. "A pity. I'm kind of curious about Kumo. Still, I suppose I can't say I don't understand."

Kurenai looked at Kiba. She didn't speak up, but she did question the wisdom of sending so many Hyuuga into Kumo. The danger was minimal, what she knew of Raikage did not make her suspect that he would try anything. The Chunin exams held a great deal of honor and were protected by a strong pact that had lasted since the Second Great Shinobi Wars. Still, it did linger in her mind a bit.

OooOOooOO

As he entered the dorms that were now half filled with visiting nin Neji frowned as he glanced over at Ayume. The girl was leaning against the doorway to one of the rooms watching him move by. She was his cousin, and gave him a nod as she glanced over at him. She had short cut hair that was cropped close to the back of her neck and a thin wiry body. She was younger than him by a year, and they had always got on well.

They had just arrived at the dorms, and were settling in. Gai was rooming with Lee, and Tenten was staying with Ayume. He'd been put into a room with Hyuuga Koga, an uncle of his that was only about two years older than him.

Koga sat on his bed and scratched at his scalp. His head was shaved and he wore the robes of a monk. He'd gone to Fire Temple for a year to study under the monks for a couple of years and had just returned to his duties as a Konoha nin a few months before. "Well, I suppose it is good to see you."

Neji nodded. "It's been a while hasn't it?"

The older boy nodded. "Yes. It's a shame we won't be able to devote our full attention to the exams."

His long haired nephew gave a small snort. "I don't intend to fail."

Koga glanced at him. "Our mission, or the exams?"

Neji balled up his fist. "Why should I have to choose?"

His uncle grinned in a somber way. "I suppose you are right. Still, I do not look forward to completing our mission. I understand that it must be done, but...It brings me no pleasure to end the life of a member of our village."

The long haired boy sat down on his bed and hung his head. "What choice do we have?"

His uncle nodded. "If I had one, I would have refused."

Neji closed his eyes and imagined the girl's face. "So would I. It doesn't matter does it. We'll do what we must." He remembered seeing her on the bed, looking less than human and barely alive. "We shouldn't be talking about it. We all know what we must do, and we can't assume that there are no ears listening in."

Koga chuckled. "Assume? Think you so little of our gift?"

The boy looked up at him. "Don't you mean our curse?"

His uncle gave another somber smile. "That is a matter of perspective."

Neji glared at him. "Didn't they tell you? I suppose they wouldn't. Why would the tell us anything? After the last exam, I had a glimmer of hope that things might change. Instead, we're just tools to them, as soon as something came up, we became nothing but a useful way to deal with problems they can't be bothered with dirtying their hands with. Hinata doesn't know anything about our orders you know."

Koga gave a heavy sigh. "I cannot argue with that I suppose. However, I'm confused about what you mean?"

Neji gave him a hard stare. "The reason we were told to kill that girl, the reason that the Main Branch is using us, is because of Uzumaki Naruto."

The older boy nodded. "Uzumaki? I vaguely recall that name. He was quiet, and nobody seemed to like him. Seemed like a bit of a weakling. I've heard strange rumors about him involving some sort of contract with a demon."

The long haired boy nodded. "Yes. That 'weakling' as you put it, developed a way to counter the Byakugan, and the Gentle Fist. I hit him with the Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms, and it didn't effect him at all."

Koga looked at the boy with wide eyes. "What?"

"He's trained Ino in these techniques. This is the reason she must die, we may not get another opportunity like this. This is why the Main Branch uses us as assassins in this exam." Neji balled up his fist and glared at it.

"That's impossible." Koga sat back and didn't look like he believed it.

"When you get the chance, have a look for yourself. She has no chakra, and this gives her the ability to hide from the Byakugan. If you try to rely on it or the Gentle Fist to face her, you will fail." Neji turned to lie on the bed. "You cannot rely on the Byakugan to reveal her. Uzumaki, Haruno, and Uchiha are no different. I've seen them since they returned, they were dressed as ANBU, but I know it was them. They look like the walking dead. Hinata sounds crazy, and it's foolish to think that she's right, but there are reasons for what she says."

Koga frowned at him. "If that's true, we should inform the others."

His nephew closed his eyes. "I won't speak of it again. If you think you should tell them, go ahead. Like you, I've got no real desire to kill her. I'll do what I must, and no more."

His uncle gave a nod. "Yes. So it would seem. I suppose I have a bit to think about. I'm not so sure I believe you anyway."

Neji shifted and settled in a bit more. "You'll see soon enough. I've got my orders, and I'll follow them. I don't care enough for those who gave them to go any further. As far as I'm concerned, the others can find out for themselves. I doubt she'll kill them."

OooOOooOO

Raikage stood in front of the windows of his office with a scowl on his face. "Five of them. Five Hyuuga in my village. Unbelievable."

His attendant was behind him. She stood in silence awaiting instruction and listening to him talk with a clipboard in her hands. She was a beautiful buxom woman with a serious expression.

The Kage was a large powerful man with bronze skin and a mustache. "It's very tempting, almost too much."

The woman arched her eyebrow. "Yes, Sir. Should we make a move?"

He glared back at her, but not really because he was angry with her. "Would that I could. No. After the mess that Sand and Sound made of the last exams, we can't afford any slip ups. None of them is to be harmed. I doubt they'll be dumb enough to give us an opportunity to arrest them with valid cause. I cannot permit risking the honor of Kumogakure, despite my desire. It's frustrating to have them so near, and yet so far away still." He growled. "The worst part about it is, we must be careful and make sure nothing happens to them. There are many who want the same thing I do, and we would provide a convenient scapegoat should something happen."

The woman nodded. "Yes, I expected as such. Sand has banned from the exams for the next year. Sound is not permitted to send any Genin for the next five."

Raikage growled. "After murdering Kazekage, they're lucky to have gotten off so light. They're also fortunate that Wind's Daimyo is such an idiot. His undercutting of their Village has prevented them from retaliating against the Land of Rice. I'm to understand that Gaara of the Sand is the new Kazekage. With nothing but a child for a Kage, it does not appear that their situation will improve any time soon. They are weak, and of little concern to us."

His assistant nodded again. "Yes, fortunate for us, not so fortunate for them."

The Kage nodded. "Yes. Still, it strengthens Konoha's position more than I'd like."

The assistant looked at her clipboard. "Preparations for the exams have gone well. Everything is ready, and there's no foreseeable delays. Everything should run smoothly."

The man nodded. "Yes. We'll begin on schedule then. I hate ceremonies. I'll be expected to give a speech."

The woman nodded. "I have one written up for your approval on your desk sir."

He glanced back at her and nodded. "Very good. I'm sure it will be fine. You've never led me astray before."

His assistant cleared her throat. "There is one other matter."

The man glanced at her. "Yes?"

"Kirabi, he wishes to..."

Raikage rolled his eyes. "I know what he wants. To torture us all with another of his stupid raps. Fine, if it keeps him happy. Give him a spot in the opening ceremony, after I've given my speech. I'd like to be able to leave before he gets started. Make sure I have an excuse."

She nodded and flipped the page up. "Very well. I'll have him give a 'motivational speech' at the end of the ceremony before the Genin are taken to the area for the first exams. Omoi is the proctor for the first exam, with Yugito overseeing the second."

The man grunted. "Yugito?"

The woman nodded. "Yes sir. She requested it. I'm to understand she enjoys it. Something about 'an opportunity to see the ninja of the future grow and flourish'."

The man gave another heavy sigh. "Very well. There's no harm in it. There are no pressing matters that require her talents I suppose."

His assistant nodded. "Yes. She's good with the Genin, and not too soft on them. I approved it, forgive me if I stepped out of bounds. I'll check with you in the future."

The man put his hands behind his back and stared out the window. "Yes. Very good." He grinned a bit. "I'm looking forward to this, despite how much of a pain it is. The mantle of Raikage does leave one wanting for the old days when a good battle was just around the corner. Perhaps the exams will keep me occupied for a little."

The woman nodded with her expression not wavering. "Yes, sir. If there's nothing else, I have a few last minute details to see too."

He nodded. "Yes, I'm just going to stand here and stare at my village, while wishing I had something to break."

The woman turned away. "Yes. I'll have a half ton of bricks brought up to your office, sir. Please hold out until they arrive. We only have one more spare desk."

He glanced over his shoulder. "Make it a whole ton. Having all these Hyuuga in my village has left me feeling a little...frustrated."

She paused in the doorway and nodded. "I'll make it two then."

He grinned and narrowed his eyes. "Very good."

OooOOooOO

Ino slapped Ryoji in the back of his head and nodded up at the balcony. Raikage had just left, and a Jounin named Kirabi was standing on a balcony overlooking a courtyard with more than a hundred Genin standing in rows. The Kage had given a speech about how the exams showed the world the strength and power of their respective villages, and the great Honor involved with the exams.

"I'm smooth, I'm cool, show me how cool you can be..." The large bronze skinned man was wearing sunglasses and had several swords hanging from various points on his body. "...Give me inspiration, show me your power, don't be intimidated, or I'll just get louder!" He had a microphone and a bass beat playing from a small boom box behind him.

Genji frowned. "This sucks."

Ryoji looked annoyed at Ino, but put his attention back on the stage. "He stinks."

Ino didn't say anything to argue. "Well, we've still got to be polite. We're representing Konoha."

Kirabi finished his rap and received tepid polite applause. As soon as he turned away, a puff of smoke at the front of the gathering caught everyone's attention. A man of average build with dark skin appeared in front of them with his arms crossed. "I am Omoi. I'll be administering the first exam. Follow me grunts, you've got a long day ahead of you."

Ino gave a small sigh. "I wonder if it will be another written exam?"

Ryoji shrugged. "It's different every time. It usually is though."

OooOOooOO

"I trust you've all purged your bladders. There will be no opportunity to do so once we begin." Omoi stood at the front of a classroom full of Genin and stood in front of a desk. "This test is the first part of the Chunin exam."

The Genin were seated at desks, and chained by the legs to their respective looked attentive and no one seemed worried or uncomfortable aside from a few nervous first time applicants.

None of the Genin were seated next to anyone from their village and there were a few annoyed grumblings from the chains and clinking as they shifted about.

Omoi stood up with a stack of papers in his hand. "Pay attention, I'm only going to explain this once. Each of you will receive a test. The chains on your legs all have a seal on them that connects directly to the seal on the back of the test." He held one up showing a small marking on the corner. "When the test is completely filled out, the chain on your leg will unlock, and you will bring the test to the front of the room and turn it in. Then you will be escorted out of the room, and await the completion of the test by the other attendees." He smirked at the expressions on the Genin's faces. "You don't need correct answers to unlock the chains, but for each incorrect answer, you will lose one point for your team. You have a total of fifteen points for your entire team and there are twenty questions. That means that as a group, if you total more than fifteen incorrect answers, you fail. You are scored as a team on this exam."

Ino gave a small sigh. She already had her strategy worked out for the exam. Her placement was fortunate, she was in the middle of the room, but still behind her two teammates.

The man put his rear on the edge of the desk and put the tests on the corner as he continued. "If one of your team is caught cheating, each member of that team loses two points. If you all fail, then your chains will unlock whether you've answered all the questions or not. You will be escorted out, and if you are not of Kumogakure, you will leave the village immediately."

The blond girl smirked and leaned back, she had a lock on the test. There was no way those two idiots were going to screw it up.

Omoi started handing out the tests. "You have two hours to complete the test. If you've not finished in the allotted time, you fail. Leave them face down until and keep your hands off your pens until the signal to begin is given."

As soon as everyone had their test, the exam proctor went to the front of the room. "Good luck, do your villages proud, and do not shame the honor of Shinobi by getting caught cheating. You may begin."

Ino turned over her test. It was complex and difficult, but nothing she couldn't handle. The other students started work, and she closed her eyes as if she was thinking or meditating and propped herself up so she wouldn't fall over. "Shintenshin." Ryoji was the biggest idiot, Genji had something of a brain. She couldn't finish her test first, or she'd have to leave the room and hope they could get by. That left too much to chance.

As Ryoji she looked down and started working out the answers.

OooOOooOO

An hour and fifty-five minutes later she slapped her test down in front of Omoi. She'd cut it damn close and spent most of her time in the overbearing idiot Ryoji's body. Both her teammates were in the other room waiting on further instructions.

The man looked up at her and smirked. There were still about twenty Genin sitting chained to their desks and struggling.

She walked to the door and entered the next room. Ryoji and Genji were both sitting with their arms crossed. The Genin had gotten back into their team groups, and there was a single Kumo Jounin sitting in the room looking half a sleep and doing little more than keeping them supervised.

Genji narrowed his eyes at her and snarled. "You cheated."

Ryoji grunted. "So she did."

Ino glanced over at the Jounin. "Shut up. So what? We're supposed to. How many times have you done this already? You still haven't figured that out?"

The brunette worked his mouth and blinked. "What? We're supposed to uphold the honor of..."

Ino leaned in and grabbed his collar. "By 'not getting caught'. Are you dense? We're not Samurai you idiot, we're Ninja. We're supposed to cheat well enough to not get caught. That's what this test is about." She shoved him back. "Now shut up. No wonder you're still a Genin. You've not even figured that much out already?"

He looked a bit wide eyed. "I...huh? R-really?" He cocked his head and seemed to think on it. "You know, I never really thought about it much. They all said something like that when we get a written test."

Ryoji gave a small sigh. "Even I knew that."

Ino arched her eyebrow. "You never told him?"

The black haired boy frowned at her. "We've never been on the same team before. This test is the first time I've worked with either of you."

The girl seemed a little surprised. "Huh. I figured you two knew each other. You always seemed to act like you did."

Genji gave a small sigh. "We're not friends or anything. He lives down the street from me. We've known each other since we were kids."

The black haired boy nodded. "Yeah. He's not my friend or anything. We just sort of know each other a little."

His companion frowned. "Hey, Ino. Looks like you've got an admirer."

The girl blinked. "Huh? Where?" She perked up and leaned towards him without looking around.

Ryoji nodded. "The bald Hyuuga has been staring at you since you came in. How cute."

Ino's face fell a little. "Hyuuga?" She didn't have anything against them, but those eyes kind of creeped her out a little. She glanced back at him and he turned away looking flustered. She thought he was embarrassed, but the truth of the matter was that he wasn't expecting to get caught looking at her. He was used to being able to turn away before getting noticed. "Well, I've seen worse." She sounded a little off. There was something about the way he was staring at her that didn't sit well with her.

The brunette gave a small sigh. "Think this is over with?"

Ino shook her head. "I doubt it, they haven't tried to scare us yet. Speaking of which." She turned and saw Omoi walk into the room.

The man slapped the tests down on the table. "Before I read the results, I've got an announcement to make." He looked quite firm and glared at the group.

Genji scratched his nose. "Here we go."

The proctor waved the tests. "As you know, the results of these tests will either pass or fail you. Those that failed to complete the exam have already been sent back to their homes." He slammed them on the table. "Before I read off the results, I'm going to level with you." The man paused and gave them a serious glare. "If you fail, you will not be allowed to take the Chunin exams again. You will be permanently banned from taking them again."

There was gasping and mutterings of alarm from the first time test takers. One of the Genin spoke up. "What? You can't! You're saying if the other two idiots on my team failed, I won't be able to take it again?"

The man grinned. "That's right. If they failed, they can prevent you from trying again." He seemed quite pleased with the reaction of most of the room. "There is a way to save yourself the trouble and try again next year." He pointed at the door. "Before I read the results, anyone who wishes too, may leave. Your team fails automatically if you do, but you will be given the opportunity to try again next year. If you've got no confidence in your teammates abilities to pass, I suggest you take a walk, and try your luck next time. You won't get another opportunity to do so if you remain and fail the exam."

"Very well." The bald Hyuuga who had been giving her the eye stood up. "I think it's time I left."

Neji jerked upright and turned to look at him. "Koga? What are...?"

His Uncle gave him a smile. "I wish you luck nephew. I have thought long and hard, and I have decided that despite what it may mean for me, I must keep my vows. I shall return to Konoha and face what I must. Then, I shall return to the temple, where I shall remain. I am sorry that I failed my team, but if this is what it means to be a ninja, then I have little choice but to remain a humble and honorable monk."

Omoi frowned at the display. "If he wishes to go, no one is permitted to stop him. Stand aside."

He left, and several other teams followed him out.

The Kumo Jounin looked about the room. "Well, there are still thirty six applicants left." He frowned a little. "Not bad for starting with a hundred and fourteen. Anyone else? Last chance to back out."

Everyone else remained seated and looked on. Ino looked about the room and noticed Kiba's team, and Neji's team were still in the room. There were also two more Konoha Teams, one with a Female Hyuuga, and another with another boy. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed all of the white eyes but Hinata were looking straight at her. "What's with them?" She shivered and turned to face the proctor.

Omoi smirked. "Well, congratulations, those that remain have all passed. This exam tests two things, one is your ability to gather information. The tests were more advanced than most Genin would be able to handle. There were several plants within the group to provide correct answers. Congratulations on those who spotted them. The second thing it tests, is your ability to have confidence in your teammates, and to take risks to complete your missions. You will all face missions where backing down and turning away will not be an option. No matter the risk to yourselves or your teammates, you will not be able to turn down an order, or refuse a mission. Despite that it may mean death, or worse."

A blue flame raced across the ground from the side of the room, a small spiraling pillar of fire erupted right next to the man that dissipated revealing a twenty something Jounin woman with blond hair tied into a long braid and a Kumo forehead protector.

Omoi nodded towards her. "This is Yugito, she'll be administering the second portion of the exam. I'll turn things over to her."

She glanced at him and smirked. "In a hurry?"

He sucked at his teeth and gave a nod. "Yeah. Got a date."

She chuckled and looked at the group. "Thirty six? Well, we'll have to cut this down a bit won't we. I think I can take care of most of them. After all, we don't want the finals to take too long. I'd rather not take the time to have elimination rounds. I'll get rid of at least half of them before this is over."

Omoi nodded. "Whatever. My job is done now. I've got places to be, and they're all yours."

She gave a small sigh and shook her head. "All right. Come on and follow me. The second exam will begin as soon as we arrive. We've got a bit of a walk ahead of us, so I suggest you take the opportunity to use the restroom now. You won't see another toilet for quite a while."

Ryoji gave a small sigh and pushed out of his seat. "Hope this goes better than last time."

Genji chuckled. "Yeah. I heard some guy stole your scroll and no one even saw him."

The black haired boy frowned at him. "It wasn't just me you know. Only four teams made it, some jerk stole everyone else's scrolls."

Ino cocked her head. "I wonder what they have planned? Another scroll battle?"

The brunette shook his head. "No way. They never do the same thing twice. It'll be some sort of survival training, but I doubt there will be any scrolls involved."

OooOOooOO

The air was chilled and they were about five miles away from Kumogakure. Ino stood with her two teammates outside of a large gate at the base of a mountain.

Yugito was ushering them towards it, and there was a bit of milling about in front of the gates.

Kiba walked over to Ino and grinned. "Well, it's nice to see another familiar face."

She glanced at him and frowned. "Hey. What's up?" Akamaru wasn't sitting on top of his head any longer. The dog stood up to his knee and panted at his side. "Wow. Akamaru has gotten bigger."

The boy seemed a bit surprised. "Huh? I guess."

Ryoji glanced over at him. "Who's this?"

Genji nodded from his side. "Yeah. Who's the runt?"

Kiba looked annoyed. "Runt?"

Ino gave a small sigh. "Don't mind them. They're both idiots. This is Genji and Ryoji." She looked at her teammates. "Guys, this is Kiba. We were in the same class at the academy."

Shino nodded. "Yamanaka. It's been a while." Hinata was cowering behind him.

She returned the gesture and greeted him. "Hey. How have you guys been?"

A tiny voice muttered "I think he sucked out her soul," from behind Shino.

Ino furrowed her brow. "Any of you guys know what's up with the Hyuuga? I've been getting the eye from all of them since they showed up. Hinata, you know anything about why they might be mad at me?"

The girl poked her head around the bug nin's coat. "They can see that you don't have a spirit. Did Naruto bite you on the neck? Did it hurt? Did he drink your blood? Was it just a little, or all of it?"

Her eyes went a little wide. "Bite me on the neck? No! Gross! What are you talking about?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Don't mind her. She thinks Uzumaki is some sort of monster."

The blond girl cocked her head. "Well, he is kind of sadistic. I suppose I could see why she might think that."

Genji looked down at her. "Who is Uzumaki?"

She glanced at him. "He's the Jounin of my team. I can't really say more."

The dog made a confused sounding whine and Kiba cocked his head. "Huh? Why not?"

Ryoji frowned at the trio. "Don't go getting too friendly. We're going to be out to get you here shortly, just like everyone else."

Kiba grinned. "Yeah, don't get your hopes up. We're not weak you know."

Genji snorted. "Yeah. Well, don't expect to get past the second exam this year kid."

Shino furrowed his brow a bit at the two crass looking older boys with Ino. "Charming."

Yugito called out over the crowd. "All right. Listen up, I've only got time to explain this once. You'll all be getting a waver. There will be death in this exam. There's always at least a few fatalities. We're not going to be held responsible for any of it. You don't sign the waver, you don't get through the gates." She handed them to the Genin closest to her and they started handing them out. "All right, everyone got one? You'll hand them to the guard at the gate when you enter. Now listen up!" She moved over to a nearby boulder and stood on top of it. "These are the rules for the exam. Inside this enclosure are three mountains." She pointed back at the three nearest peaks. "The fence surrounds them all, and you must remain inside for the entirety of the exam." The Genin were all looking up at her. "At the peak of each mountain you will find a small building. Inside is a Kumo nin. When you reach the peak, they will give you a single key." She held a set of three keys up. "Here's where it gets interesting."

The Genin shifted and looked on. "Each team will get one key. You have to show up with all three members of your team, or you won't be receiving one." The blond woman put the keys in her pocket and grinned. "There are only six sets of keys. Each mountain has a different key at the peak. Once they've all been collected there will be a sign on the door informing you. Tampering with the signs once posted is off limits. You also aren't permitted to use genjutsu or post a fake to fool other teams of this. The only way to get a key once they've been collected is to take them from another team. Trading is permitted, so you don't have to fight to get them if you find a team willing to part with a duplicate. However, in order to complete the exam, you need a complete set of all three keys."

The woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a map. She tapped the center of the three mountains. "There's a small valley in the center of the three mountains. Inside that valley you will find a bunker. You need all three keys to open the door to enter and complete the exam." She tossed her braided hair and smirked. "You've got exactly five days to complete this task. No one is permitted to enter or leave the grounds until the exam is complete. You will be in there for all five days. Any team who has not entered the bunker by the end of five days will fail. There are only enough keys for half of the teams to pass, and I don't expect that every set will make it." She put her hand on her hip and smirked. "Are there any questions?" She looked around and nodded as no one spoke up. "Good. You'll all be assigned a starting gate, hand the waver to the guard you meet there and you will be allowed in once the signal is given that everyone is in place. Each team send a representative to the front." The woman held out a black cloth bag. "Take a number and that will be your assigned gate. The gates are in ascending order to the right, there are fifteen gates, so higher numbers will reach the gate sooner by moving to the left."

Ino gave a small sigh. "Well, if we hurry we might be able to get two of the keys without a fight. I doubt we'll be able to get all three before they run out."

Genji looked a little pale. "H-hurry?"

Ryoji frowned. "I'd rather fight for the two than run around the mountains after you again. It was bad enough the last time."

The blond girl narrowed her eyes at them. "Don't be such wussies. Are you saying you can't keep up with a girl?"

The brunette grimaced. "A girl yes. You, no way."

The black haired boy crossed his arms. "He's right. You're inhuman."

She tossed her hair. "No, you jerks are just weak. I say we can get two keys if we hurry, and that's what we're going to do, or would you rather argue about it and just have me make you do it?"

They both glared at her for a moment and she stared right back.

Ryoji looked away and crossed his arms. "We're not going to be any good in a fight if we can't stand because we've been chasing your skinny butt all over those mountains."

Genji nodded. "He's right, just take it easy. If we can get two, great. We're not going to be any good if we're too tired to do anything if we run into trouble."

Ino rolled her eyes and lifted her nose. "Like you'd do any good anyway. Just come on, we'll see. We're not going to slack off just because you two guys are lazy. We're going to get as many keys as we can as fast as we can. Even if I have to drag you both." She stomped off to get their position from Yugito.

The larger of the two boys tugged at his mace. "What is with this chick? I wish I could just club her."

"Just shut up and do what she wants. We've got no choice in the matter." Genji frowned at him.

Ryoji just slapped his back. "She's right you know. You are a wuss."

The brown haired boy glared at him. "No, I just realize letting her have her way hurts less. Shut the hell up, she's bad enough when we don't piss her off."

Ino almost skipped over. "Look, we're at gate Seven. My lucky number! Come on you dopes. We should hurry."

The black haired boy growled at her. "What? No we shouldn't. You're going to be having us run all over the place once this gets started. Just relax would you?"

Genji followed after them both. "He's right. Just relax would you. We've got plenty of time. It'll be bad enough once we get going. We should take the opportunity to relax while we can."

Ino gave a small sigh. "All right fine. Don't forget, if I fail because of you two idiots, I'm going to kill you!" She seemed quite cheerful as she skipped away towards their gate.

Ryoji hung his head and trudged after her. "This sucks."

The brunette sighed and did the same. "Do you think she means that?"

The black haired boy shrugged. "Who cares. If she's going to, I wish she would just do it and get it over with."

OooOOooOO

Neji was making his way with his team towards their gate. He looked over his shoulder and found Ayume moving by nearby with her team. The girl glanced at him and nodded. He looked at Tenten and Lee and spoke up. "Hey, go on ahead. I'll catch up." He walked over to the girl and saw that she had done the same for her team.

The girl smirked. "Well, it's been a while cousin. I'm pretending to wish you luck, but I'm really curious about what got into Koga."

Her cousin shrugged. "He's a Monk. I can't say I can blame him."

She nodded. "Nishi and I have already spoken about this matter. This is our first opportunity, and we shouldn't waste it."

He nodded. "You two do as you like. I'm making my move in the finals."

The girl seemed a little surprised. "You may not get the..."

"I have no doubt I will." He turned and started to move off, but she grabbed his shoulder.

"You're not getting cold feet are you? That doesn't seem like you. It's bad enough Koga left, but..."

He glanced back at her and jerked his shoulder out of her grip. "I'll do what I must. Don't worry. I don't expect you to succeed, though I won't complain if you do. I'm not chasing ghosts around these mountains. If you want to waste your time, feel free. I'll take my chances on catching her when she can't just vanish."

Ayume gave a rough snort of laughter. "Vanish? I had heard that your gift is particularly strong. I guess that was just a rumor. She won't escape."

Neji just continued to walk away. "We'll see. Maybe we'll meet again in the finals. Good luck with your hunt. You'll need it. If you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to my team."

The girl just sighed. "I wonder what got into him. He's always been a bit of a jerk, but he's not usually this bad. Oh well. Orders are orders. Looks like it's just me and Nishi for now." She moved off to catch up to her own team.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: The Terror of the Three Mountains.


	34. Chapter 34

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

Part 34

The Terror of the Mountains.

OooOOooOO

Yamanaka Ino frowned at the two idiots trudging along behind her. They had entered the arena and were moving towards the first mountain. She glanced over her shoulder for a moment and found them both shoving each other in the shoulder. "Idiots."

Genji grunted as he noticed. "What? We're keeping up aren't we?"

Ryoji slapped the back of his head. "Yeah. Quit complaining."

The girl was annoyed, she had to stick with them both. She'd made two shadow clones, her stamina had improved and she was able to keep two of them going for several hours. Making them wasn't easy, but once made they could keep together for several hours. She'd discovered this on the last night of the last mountain training she'd received.

Neither of the boys was aware that she had clones running about, and if she vanished and left them to their own devices, she'd discovered that they would slow down. She had to stay visible or they would both start being even bigger lazy morons. "Just come on. I want to get our first key before nightfall. We've only got a few more hours." Her clones were both heading towards the other mountains. She had considered setting up traps, but had decided that the best course of action would be to allow other teams to get the other two keys, shadow one of them, and steal one of each. "I'm glad that sadistic jerk isn't here, he'd probably make me try and steal all of them."

Ryoji moved up to her side as she slowed down. "What's up? You sure are grouchy."

The girl had a serious look on her face. "There's another team nearby. No one has any keys yet, so I don't think we've got anything to worry about yet."

The brown haired boy nodded. "Yeah. No one should be interested in a conflict yet."

"So sure of that?" A voice called out from the shadows. It was young and feminine.

Two nin stepped out both boys with Konoha forehead protectors. "Knock it off Ayume." One of them had sky blue hair and a large oversized shuriken on his back. He was of average build and had cool gray eyes.

The other was wearing a long loose robe with a pair of glasses on his face and short cut green hair. He was holding a set of trench knives. "Right. There's no point in fighting yet." He had gold eyes and frowned at the opposing group. "Maybe later."

Genji crossed his arms and rubbed his thumb across his nose as he faced them and looked unimpressed. "What's the deal then? You want something?" Ryoji looked on behind him and didn't seem concerned either.

A girl hopped down from the trees between her two teammates. She was a Hyuuga with short cut black hair and a thin wiry body. "Just curious who we ran into. You can't be too careful, you never know who might be trying to stab you in the back out here."

Ino narrowed her eyes as she noticed the girl looking right at her. "You trying to say something? Ayume was it?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah. Don't go thinking we'll go easy on you when we meet again. I've heard about you. You're Yamanaka Ino."

The blond girl frowned. "Heard about me?" She turned to face her. "Well, I've not heard of you. Why have you been giving me the eye? Ever since we got here, you and the other Hyuuga have been glaring at me. What the hell is the problem anyway? I don't know any Hyuuga."

Ayume snorted. "Me, be interested in you? Don't be stupid. You're nothing, I doubt you even make it to the finals. See you around." She turned away and motioned for the boys to follow her.

"What's with her?" muttered one of them as he glanced back.

"How should I know?" grumbled the green haired boy. "Maybe they both wore the same dress once or something?"

Ino looked at her two teammates. "Come on."

Ryoji was looking at where the other team had gone. "What's with them?"

Genji nodded. "Yeah. Something is up."

The blond shrugged. "Not sure. I think you're right though. Just come on. We need to hurry up before the keys are gone."

OooOOooOO

About two hours later, team Yugao was scaling the steep incline of the rocky side of one of the mountains. They weren't scaling up a cliff, but were pulling themselves around and up the sides of boulders as they moved towards the peak.

Ino growled as she barked back at her two cohorts. "Come on you jerks. Keep up!"

Ryoji and Genji were about ten feet behind her, and moving along at a steady pace. Neither was struggling, but they weren't having an easy time of moving after her.

The black haired boy glared at her. "Quit disappearing. How are we supposed to follow you if you keep vanishing?"

The brown haired boy gasped as he moved up beside him and pulled himself over a small boulder. "How the hell does she do that anyway?"

She rolled her eyes. "You both know where we're going. You don't need to see me to get there. Keep moving, we all need to be together when we get there."

Ryoji narrowed his eyes and put his hand up to his forehead to shield them from the sun. "Hey, I saw someone ahead of us."

Genji blinked. "Ahead of us?"

The larger boy nodded. "Yeah, hiding in the rocks up above. I only caught a glimpse, but there's definitely someone there."

Ino growled and glared at where he was looking. "Great. An ambush? What for? No one has any keys yet. Look, you two keep moving. I'm going to go check it out."

Genji got wide eyed. "Look out!" He ducked behind a large boulder and pulled Ryoji with him.

Ino became a blur as she looked up and gasped. Several huge boulders were tumbling down the side of the mountain towards the group. She moved with impressive speed and barely avoided dodging two of the large stones as they crashed and rumbled past. She moved between two of the larger ones and ducked under another smaller stone as big as her chest. Pushing off with her feet she went over another of similar size as the obstacles tumbled past, knocking even more stones and debris into following them as they clattered down the side of the mountain behind her.

She was well hidden a moment later and narrowed her eyes as she noticed her team had managed to get to cover and were moving away up the mountain to the right. She looked up at the direction the stones had come from and narrowed her eyes. Someone was looking down the side of the mountain and right at the two boys. He looked away, and searched the area trying to spot her as well. He had long black bangs that hung down the sides of his face, but she couldn't make out more than that.

Silently, she moved through cover towards his position. "Who the hell is that jerk? What the hell is he doing?"

It didn't take more than two minutes for her to flank him. He was still glaring down the mountain. She could see he was watching Ryoji and Genji with his fists balled up. "Where the hell is she? I can see the others, but she just vanished. Is she masking her chakra?" He shifted his position and she waited behind him in silence with her eyes narrowing. "I don't care about them, but sooner or later she's got to get back together with them. Slippery brat, one of the other two must have spotted me. She's got to be down there somewhere. She must know how to hide her chakra, but sooner or later she's got to move, and I'll have her. Heh, there's no way she can move well enough to climb this mountain without chakra." He twirled a kunai around his finger and smirked.

He didn't notice the foot slam into the side of his face from behind his back until his other cheek hit the boulder he was hiding behind. He scrambled to turn, but ended up slugged in the gut, and had a palm jammed into the bottom of his chin before he could react.

The unfortunate boy landed on his back after a four foot drop onto the top of a boulder and cried out in pain. "Gah! Shit!"

Ino was glaring down at him with her arms crossed. "An ambush?" Her eyes went wide and hard at the same time as she noticed his forehead protector had a Leaf Symbol on it.

He growled and held his side as he staggered to his feet below her looking up with familiar white eyes. "You shouldn't have let me get up." He charged forward with his two fingers extended and jumped at her. She flipped over his head and came down on the rock he had landed on, ducked under a kick he tried to catch her with, and caught his ankle with one hand while slamming her fist dead in his crotch.

The boy turned very red and staggered back holding himself after he managed to jerk his foot out of her grip.

Ino had a vicious looking snarl on her face. "What are you doing? Why are you after me? What the hell is going on here? I heard you, you're only after me! What the hell? What did I ever do to you?"

The boy wasn't pleased, but had recovered as she shouted at him. He didn't respond and moved to attack. This time the girl stood her ground and blocked his strikes. He was jabbing at her with his fingers, and managed to poke her a few times, but ended up getting slugged in the face and gut for his efforts.

Ino wasn't standing there and taking it and managed to dodge most of the blows. She took a few hits though and rubbed at the spots on her sides and arms he'd managed to catch. There were irritating purple marks on her forearms, and she could feel a few small bruises of a similar size on her belly and side. Oddly, she was less tired than she had been.

The boy was glaring at her. "You're...going to die!" He rushed and swept his hands and feet at her. She dodged and rocked out of the way, her movement unhindered by his previous attacks. She took a few blows to her legs, and found that the burning from her climb had lessened in her limbs after he jumped back.

He was looking a bit confused and angry. "What the hell? I know...I know I...I hit her. I know it. I didn't miss!" He had his hands up and charged again.

Ino spun into a hooking kick that took him across his cheek and planted his head into the side of one of the boulders. "Cut it out you jerk! What the hell are you doing?"

The boy frowned and growled as he staggered up again. "I won't fail. You'll die!" He charged again, this time with a pair of kunai in his grip.

Ino gasped and reacted in an instant. She put both her palms into his belly as he swiped at her over her head and shaved the ends of a few strands of hair. Before he could pull his arms back she twisted one of them into a lock and took one of the kunai from his grip.

The boy tried to force her to release him with the other knife, but she used her forearm to knock the strike away and twisted with the other knife in her hand. She jabbed out and the boy screamed in pain. The other knife clattered away across the rocks as she stabbed him right through the outside of his palm. She released him and stepped back.

The boy was holding his hand and glaring at her. "You bitch. You just don't get it. You're not going to live long enough to return to Konoha!" He rushed at her with his free hand going for another kunai.

Ino spun into a kick, and hit his injured hand. The kunai was impaled in the boulder beside him and he was pinned to it. He screamed in rage and tugged at it. The stone was about five times larger than him, and the weapon was nailed in good.

The girl punched him across his jaw. "What the hell are you talking about? Why are you trying to kill me? What's going on here?" She got a bit wide eyed and looked down the mountain. "The other Hyuuga, they've all been watching me. Are they trying to kill me too? What is this? Explain yourself!"

The boy's forehead protector fell away as he glared at her in a rage and growled as he tried to tug the knife free. It was in very deep and he was too weak from fighting to pull it out. "You're as good as dead. You just don't know it yet."

Ino stepped back again with a shocked expression on her face. "What? Who are you? What do you want with me? I said explain yourself! You just tried to kill me. You know damn well we don't have any keys yet, and I'm a Konoha Nin! Explain yourself, or you're in serious trouble!"

The boy pulled at his hand, screamed in pain, and seemed to relax. "I'm not going to explain anything to you. You stupid bitch, just...die!" He reached into his shirt and tried to throw a mass of shuriken at Ino.

The girl reacted first though, ducking and kicking out at him. She didn't hit him though, instead she struck the side of the boulder.

The boy got a wide eyed expression on his face and he gasped in horror as his throwing weapons sailed into the air in a wild manner. He was pulled off his feet and dragged along attached to the boulder.

Ino looked on with a deep frown on her face as it tumbled with him stuck on the side. It crashed into the side of a large boulder about a hundred yards below. A spray of red splattered out every side under the stone. It had landed directly on top of him, and his entire upper body, head and all had been turned into a red paste by the force of the impact. The Hyuuga boy's arm swung away from the remains. The only thing left of him was his legs and crotch, and the severed arm still pinned to the side of the large stone swinging from side to side as it dripped blood onto the small stones.

Genji staggered up to her side with a wide eyed expression and a pale face. "Holy shit. You killed him."

Ryoji had his mace out and was glaring at the remains. "Good riddance. The jerk tried to do the same to us."

Ino looked down at the forehead protector at her feet. There were a few drops of blood on the Leaf symbol. Her lip was trembling, but she tensed herself up and shook her head. "Come on. They said there would be death, and there was."

The brown haired boy looked down at it. "Konoha? He was...a Leaf Nin?"

Ryoji gasped in shock. "What? That's crazy! Why would a Leaf nin try to kill us? We don't even have any keys yet! There's no..." He looked towards Ino. "What's going on?"

The girl shook her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She was shivering a little, but her eyes were dry. With a sniffle she glared at him. "I'm not sure. I think...the Hyuuga are trying to kill me. He wasn't after the two of you, just me. I heard him muttering about it when I sneaked up on him. Something is going on here, and I am to find out what." She tossed her hair and steeled herself. "First thing's first, we need to pass this exam. That's one less team competing for keys."

The brown haired boy arched his eyebrow. "The Hyuuga are trying to kill you? What did you do?"

His larger companion nodded and put his weapon away. "Right. That's crazy. We're Konoha Nin. It doesn't make sense."

She nodded and kept moving. "You're right, it doesn't. I need to find out what's going on here." She glanced back at them with a cold frown on her face. "I don't even know any Hyuuga. The only ones I've ever met are Neji and Hinata, and I've never spoken to either of them. I don't get it, there's no reason for this. It doesn't make sense."

Genji glanced back towards the body. "Maybe he was just crazy? Had some sort of obsessive crush or something?"

Ryoji crossed his arms. "Well, I guess that would make some sense. I doubt the Hyuuga are trying to kill you. It was probably just him."

The girl nodded. "I hope you're right, but I doubt it. Look, you two noticed yourselves. They've all been glaring at me since they got here."

The brunette seemed to think on it. "She's right. Still, that doesn't mean they want to kill you."

The black haired boy grunted. "What about that Ayume chick we ran into? She was acting weird, pretty hostile. I think there may be something to this."

His companion scratched the side of his head. "Doesn't make sense though. Why would the Hyuuga clan do something like that? Wouldn't they get in trouble? Isn't that murder or something?"

The larger boy closed his eyes. "Not here. We're all fair game in the exams. If you're going to kill someone, this is the perfect opportunity. No one will ask any questions. I don't expect anyone will say anything to us about whoever that was that just got creamed by that rock."

Ino turned on her heels and slugged him. "Show a little respect for the dead." She hissed at him with wet cheeks and started moving ahead of them at a quick pace.

He rubbed at his jaw and looked admonished. "Jeez, sorry. Didn't know you cared so much about the guy that just tried to kill us."

Genji pulled on his shoulder. "Just shut up and come on. We need to watch our backs too you know. Just cause they're after her, doesn't mean they wouldn't mind if we got...YAAAAHHHHH!"

Ryoji's hand snapped out and caught his companion as the ground fell away under his feet. The brunette was glaring at the bottom of a spiked pit that his feet were dangling over. "Thanks."

There was a whipping sound and a loud crack up ahead of them. The larger boy pulled his teammate out of the hole and they both rushed towards the sound.

Ino's cheeks were dry again, and she was inspecting a spiked branch and putting a kunai away. She'd cut a tripwire and was looking it up and down. "Hmmm. This has been here a while." She rubbed her finger along the bark where the branch had been bent back. "At least a week I'd say." She glanced at the pair. "Careful, seems the mountain is booby trapped."

Genji gave a small sigh. "We noticed."

His companion nodded. "Yeah. We'll have to watch our step, and it's going to slow us down even more."

The blond girl seemed quite calm and nodded. "Yeah. Can't be helped. Keep your eye out for traps, but if you find any don't disarm them. They'll slow other teams up too. The Kumo nin set these up for the exam."

OooOOooOO

About two more hours later, the sun was an orange ball in the distant sky. Ahead of the group was a small shack, it was nothing but a few boards and only a little larger than an outhouse.

Genji was gasping and bent over with his hands on his knees. "Hey, we made it. Wonder if there's any keys left."

Ryoji grunted, he was tired as well, but both of them still had plenty of energy left to keep moving despite their winded appearance. "I don't see any tracks. We might be the first ones here."

Ino strolled up, and a bald black kumo nin was sitting with his cheek in his palm with a magazine in his hand. He glanced at them and nodded as he noticed the trio approach. Without a word, he slid a single key across a the small counter towards her.

She took it and turned away with a small nod. "Come on."

Both boys glanced back at the small shack as they turned away. "That was easy," commented Genji.

Ryoji grunted. "I dunno, I was expecting a riddle or another trap or something I guess."

Ino gave a shrug. "Sometimes the objective is just that simple. I've learned that often the hard part is just getting to it."

The larger boy tugged on his mace's handle. "You know, you've sure gotten quiet since this started."

His long haired companion nodded. "Yeah. You wouldn't shut up for five minutes in the village. Now you've not said much of anything for half the day. Not that I'm complaining, but it's weird."

The girl cocked her head and almost looked back at them, but not quite. "We're on the job, and I'm being hunted. Come on, we're heading for the bunker."

Ryoji blinked. "Huh? We've only got one key."

His shorter companion nodded. "That's right. How are we going to get inside with just one?"

She turned away from them again and started walking. "Let me worry about that."

OooOOooOO

Kiba had a grin on his face as he leaned against a tree and looked at his two companions. "Well, what now? We've got one key. Should we try to make it up another mountain?" They had gone for the central peak, and had just reached the base of the mountain again.

Shino seemed to think on it with his arms crossed. "I'm not sure that would be wise. There were a lot of traps."

The dog trainer chuckled. "No problem, Akamaru is an ace at spotting traps. Right?" He looked down at the dog and it barked at him. "See, no problem."

Hinata poked her fingers together. "We should do all right. We've made good time so far."

The bug nin pushed his glasses up his nose. "I think we're better off trying to get our keys from other groups. It would take a lot of time to climb the other two mountains, and don't forget I had to save you and Akamaru from more than one of those traps."

Kiba frowned at him. "It was just the once, and Akamaru didn't spot that stupid branch trap because it was so high off the ground."

The Hyuuga girl looked away and flushed a bit. "Well, there was that rope trap we had to cut you and Akamaru down from."

The dog trainer shoved his hands in his coat pockets. "Well, Akamaru knows better now. They baited it with that dead rabbit." He gave a small sigh. "You're right though. It would take too long to try and climb the other two mountains."

Shino nodded. "We should set up an ambush then." He didn't notice the hand slip into his coat pocket from the bushes and slip the key in his pocket out. "I can set up a perimeter."

Kiba shook his head, none the wiser. "Nah. We're better off using Akamaru's nose to tracks another team down. If we just wait in one spot, we might not find the right set of keys. We can cover more ground and get more chances moving around by tracking."

His companion adjusted his sunglasses. "Maybe, but we also run the risk of being ambushed ourselves."

Hinata looked thoughtful. "I think Kiba is right. We should keep moving for now. We can set up an ambush after we have another key, near to the bunker. By then, our chances of getting what we need will improve."

The tall bug trainer nodded. "All right. That's reasonable."

Kiba grinned. "Right, who knows, we might get lucky and find someone who has both keys we need?" He patted Akamaru on his head. "Come on boy, let's find us some keys."

Shino gave a small sigh. "We can't be reckless. Calm down would you?"

Hinata shook her head and smiled as she hung back behind her team.

Kiba looked back from where Akamaru had his nose to the ground. "Come on, we need to get moving. There's not much light left, and we need to find a place to camp."

Neither one of them noticed a pair of slender hands reach out from the bushes behind Hinata. The hands wrapped around her mouth and drag her into the bushes. The Hyuuga girl tried to cry out, but the sound was muffled and she ended up with nothing but a muffled squeak.

Yamanaka Ino was glaring at her with a kunai to her throat and her finger on her lips. "Keep quiet or I'll slit your throat."

The white eyed girl looked on with wide eyes and gave a slow nod. Her captor grabbed her collar and dragged her away through the brush in silence. A moment later, the Hyuuga girl almost had the wind knocked out of her as her back was slammed against the trunk of a tree.

Ino pushed against her throat and lifted her feet off the ground. Hinata's eyes became wet as she gasped and choked in her captor's grip. She was terrified and shaking. "No. Please...don't...don't hurt me!"

The blond snarled. "Shut up. I've got questions for you, Hyuuga." She pushed a bit harder against her neck silencing her frightened whimpers. "Why are the Hyuuga after me?"

The girl was holding onto her forearms and struggling to breath. "I...I don't...what? What do you mean?"

"A Hyuuga boy tried to kill me. That Ayume girl is after me too. All of you have been giving me the eye since we got here. What's going on? You know something, I know you do!" Ino shook her in her grip and loosened her choke hold enough to let her breathe enough she wouldn't pass out. She pulled out a kunai again and put it up to her cheek. "Why are the Hyuuga trying to kill me? What did I do?"

Hinata was shaking. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ino stabbed the Kunai into the tree trunk beside her head. "I don't believe you. Something is going on, I've spotted that girl Ayume following those two idiots on my team. She's abandoned her own team to do it. What the hell is going on here? Why are the Hyuuga hunting me?"

The white eyed girl cringed as she looked at the knife. "Soulless monster! Stop! I don't know! I don't know anything! Please!"

The blond girl was frustrated and hissed at her captive. "I've already killed one Hyuuga today. Another doesn't mean much. What do you know about this, Hinata?"

The girl was choking again and struggled to speak. The Byakugan was going full bore and the veins around her eyes were bulging. All she could see was a dark shadow closing it's cold grip around her throat. She made a few wheezing sounds and tried to pry the soulless girl's hands free.

Ino pulled her off the tree trunk and slammed her back into it. "Talk you bitch! Tell me why a clan from my own village wants me dead! I don't even know any Hyuuga! How did I offend them? What the hell is going on? If you've been sent here to kill me, you owe me an explanation!"

The frightened girl's eyes grew wider as the monster snarled at her in a rage. "Don't...take my...soul. You can't...I won't let..." Her hands thrust out and jabbed at her attacker.

Ino grunted in discomfort and growled as she tightened her grip. Hinata's hands fell to her sides. "N-no! How?" She saw the flash of her attacks, the chakra flow into her body, only to be consumed by the darkness within her. "It...can't be...vampire."

Ino looked disgusted and loosened her grip. "I'm only going to ask you one more time. Why are you trying to kill me? What does the Hyuuga clan have to gain from killing me? I've done nothing to them. I don't even know them!"

"A shadow, that can't be seen..." Hinata's head slumped down. "My blood...don't..."

The blond growled as her captive passed out. She snorted and pulled her kunai free of the tree. "Vampire huh? What the hell? Crazy bitch." She frowned and dropped the limp girl on her rear. After a moment of glaring Ino put her hand on her hip and stared in frustration at her for a moment. She spun the weapon around in her hand and almost put it away as she turned to leave. She frowned and glared at the passed out girl again. "Well, you want Vampires? You got it. Heh." She was frustrated with her and angry that her family was trying to kill her. She knelt down beside the girl, turned her head to the side, and poked two small holes into the side of her throat with the tip of the weapon.

Blood dripped down the side of her neck and Ino chuckled as she wiped the weapon off on her chest. She took her fingers and smudged them with the dripping fluid from Hinata's neck. After a moment of consideration, she wiped it around her lips and chin and shook the passed out girl's shoulder.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open. "What?" Her eyes went very wide as she saw Ino looking at her with a smirk on her face. "Now, I'm going to ask you again. What do you know? You'd better answer me, cause I'm still hungry, and I've still got lots of room to finish you off."

The reaction was not what she expected. The Hyuuga girl's hand went to her throat, she felt the warm sticky fluid, pulled her hand away and looked at it. Her eyes darted up to the evil grin on Ino's face. She pushed herself against the tree trunk, opened her mouth, and screamed at the top of her lungs in horror.

"Hinata!" Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino all rushed from the bushes. The dog was tracking their teammate down, and pointed. The hackles on it's shoulders rose and it gave a deep growl.

Ino looked over her shoulder at them and growled. "Shit."

The bug nin staggered to a stop and froze in place. "What the hell?"

Kiba balled up his fists. "You'd better not have hurt her!" He went blank. "Ino? What the hell?"

Shino stepped forward and he spoke in an even tone, tiny black insects were emerging from his coat and swarming. "Get away from her."

Akamaru charged with his fangs bared, but the blond girl hopped over him, pushed off the animal's back and landed on the branches above the scene. She squatted down and grinned at them all from above.

Shino nodded towards the frightened girl and saw the blood on her throat. Their teammate was shaking and looked to be in shock. "She's been injured."

The hysterical girl was clutching her throat and had tears flowing down her cheeks. "She bit me! She bit me! I don't want to die! No!"

Kiba noticed what was smudged around the blond girl's lips. "Holy shit. She's not joking. You sick bitch!"

Ino jumped away as kunai and shuriken landed in her former position. "What can I say? I've been out here a while and I got hungry."

Kiba and Shino put themselves between her and Hinata. Akamaru was on his side and whimpering with his tail between his legs. The dog rolled back to it's feet and looked up to growl at her as it backed away and looked defensive. The bug nin narrowed his eyes. "Got you."

The blond girl gasped as she turned her head and noticed the large swarm of insects flow over her. "Gross!"

Kiba was inspecting the wound on Hinata's neck. "No way. This is nuts!" The bleeding had stopped, but the marks were clear. "Get her, Shino!"

The taller nin nodded. "She'll be drained dry of Chakra in a moment. Wonder if she's got any keys?" He paused and turned his head towards his swarm. "Wait, something isn't right."

The blond girl walked right out of the swarm of confused bugs and jumped away from them onto another branch. She was violently brushing at her clothes. "Eew! Get em off me! Disgusting! Yaaaahhh!" She shook herself off and shivered as she took a few steps back looking cautious of the swarm. It didn't chase after her and crawled about the branches covering her former foothold in black shiny spots. She squatted down and watched them for a moment while holding her chest and gasping for breath.

Shino was shocked. His jaw was hanging and he took a step back. "I...Impossible! They should have drained her dry. They'd never let her go until they drained enough to make her pass out at least! There's no way! They don't even see her!"

She jabbed her finger at him and snarled. "I'm gonna get you for covering me in disgusting bugs you jerk!" With that she jumped into the shadows and seemed to disappear into thin air.

Kiba had his arm across Hinata's shoulder. "She's not hurt bad, but that bitch...wait, what?"

The Hyuuga girl glared at him and pushed his arm off. "Don't you get it? She's a vampire! She's undead and doesn't have chakra!"

Kiba grunted. "That's crazy. How's she running around then? Jeez Hinata, it's gross that she bit you, but..."

Shino was looking at the insect sitting on his finger. "No. She's right. Yamanaka Ino has no chakra. What the hell?"

The dog trainer called Akamaru over. "Come on, we'll track her down and make her suffer. That brat. Don't be stupid."

The taller boy shook his head. "No, my friends have confirmed this. They could find no energy within her. As if she was dead."

The dog whined. Kiba frowned at him. "Don't you start too. Come on now, we've seen her in the daylight before. If she's a vampire then how's she running about in the sun and all?" He crossed his arms. "Vampires in Konoha? That's just crazy."

Shino gave a shrug. "Well, what if that part isn't true? Kiba, look at the wounds on Hinata's neck. You saw her. Her face was covered in blood. Hinata can't see any chakra, my insects couldn't find any to drain from her, and she's vanished into thin air. Even Hinata's Byakugan can't see her. How would you explain it?"

Kiba worked his jaw, his eyes went wide. "Wait. No way. That's just...you think?" He looked over at the girl. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. She was angry, and said my clan was trying to kill her. I think father knows what she is, what he is."

Shino cocked his eyebrow. "He?"

The girl nodded and clutched at her throat. "Team Seven. All of them are vampires. Naruto, he's the one. He's the one who started this. When he made that deal with that monster, it turned him into one too! It took out his soul and made him into the undead! Now he wants all of Konoha!"

The dog boy shook his head. "This is crazy. Naruto? Look, he's a little weird, and no one knows much about him, but...a Vampire?"

Kiba looked at Hinata. "What's this about the Hyuuga now? They're trying to kill her?"

The girl flushed. "I don't know anything about it, she thinks so. I think...she killed my cousin Nishi. She thinks Ayume is after her, and she attacked me, and interrogated me, and drank my blood!"

The dog trainer looked a bit disgusted. "Really? Gross! Look, um...vampires. You know what. Let the Hyuuga deal with it. Let's just get out of here and find another key."

Shino gave a sigh and nodded. "Right, regardless, we should continue with the exam."

Hinata was clutching at her neck. "I don't want to turn into a Vampire! She bit me! What do I do?"

Kiba seemed to think about it. "Look, I think I read somewhere they have to make you drink their blood or something for that to happen. You should be all right." He looked at Shino. "We should keep an eye on her though."

The girl blinked. "What?"

Shino gave a nod. "He's right. There's nothing we can do, and we have to worry about the exams. We only need two more ke..." He had just put his hand into his pocket, took it out, and patted at his sides. "Oh shit."

Kiba squeezed his eyes shut. "Man, don't tell me. Please don't say it."

The taller boy blushed. "Um, our key is gone."

The dog trainer balled up his fist and growled. "That bitch." Akamaru made a half whine half growl in response and hung his head.

Shino shook his head. "Well, I'm not about to go running around after her. Come on, we need to get moving."

Hinata was quivering and sniffled. "I don't want to be undead."

Kiba gave a heavy sigh. "Just relax would you? You'll be fine. I'm still not sure about this vampire crap anyway."

Shino gave her a reassuring look and nodded. "Come on. You'll be fine, and we can't stay here."

The dog trainer growled. "Next time we get a key, I'm holding it."

As the sun set, the team walked into the woods. Each keeping a close eye on their female teammate as the sun vanished below the mountains.

OooOOooOO

Genji and Ryoji both looked on as two more Ino walked out of the woods. They had just arrived at the bunker, and were both looking annoyed with her. They were in the woods surrounding the building in the brush and watching the area around them for signs of other teams. Their jaws dropped as both of the blond girls walked up to the one standing with them and handed her a key. After that, they vanished in a puff of smoke.

Ino frowned. "Great, all that and I didn't learn anything."

The brown haired boy worked his jaw. "What happened?"

His companion seemed confused. "Learn anything?"

Ino shrugged. "I ambushed one of the Hyuuga and slapped her around. Didn't learn anything, I still don't know what the deal is with them."

Genji cocked his head. "Shadow clones? How did you manage that with a shadow clone? What the hell is this?"

She lead them to the building and started unlocking the bolts on the door. "None of your business. Come on, we're finished. Now we just have to worry about the finals."

The trio walked in and left the treacherous mountains behind them.

OooOOooOO

Yugito blinked as she looked at the Chunin who had walked into the small office she had taken up residence in. "What?" She had removed a set of headphones and kicked her feet off the top of the desk.

The man stiffened up and put a set of tapes on her desk. "The Team under Uzuki Yugao has completed the exam."

The woman furrowed her brow and looked at the tape. "Finished? It's only been seven hours."

The Chunin nodded and put a tape into the player. It showed Ino and her team entering the bunker. She cocked her head and arched her eyebrow. "Wow, that's impressive. A new record."

The nin nodded and ejected the tape. "There's more, one of the Hyuuga is dead."

Yugito frowned and crossed her arms. "What?" She narrowed her eyes. "That could be trouble. What happened?"

The man started the tape. "A few of our mountain surveillance cameras recorded it."

The woman sat back and looked on as Yamanaka Ino brutally destroyed Hyuuga Nishi in battle and killed him. "I see. Interesting."

"Deaths are normal in the exams. I was told to be especially mindful of the Hyuuga, but I would have brought this up anyway. It's most unusual."

Yugito nodded and put the eraser of a pencil in her mouth. "You're right. He attacked her. I wonder if there's bad blood between the Hyuuga and this girl. Who is she? It's very odd, he attacked her alone. There was nothing to gain in the exam by this. It's something else."

The Chunin nodded and put a set of three folders on her desk. "Yamanaka Ino of Leaf."

The Jounin nodded. "Yamanaka, I've heard of this clan, but I'm not very familiar. Perhaps some sort of family conflict?"

Her subordinate nodded. "It seems likely. There's more. A few hours later, another Hyuuga was attacked." He put in the third tape which showed Hinata being abducted from behind her teammates and dragged off by Ino. "Seems her team saved her, but she sustained injury." He put down a few still photos showing Hinata with blood on her uniform holding her neck.

She looked at the photos and sat back. "Seems the Hyuuga have a rival in Konoha now. I wonder what caused it? Internal rivalries between clans aren't unusual, but it's been a long time since we've seen this sort of thing in the exams. Not that it matters much to us. Still, a rivalry between the Hyuuga and Yamanaka clans is a surprise."

The Chunin shook his head. "I feel sorry for the Yamanaka clan then."

The woman glanced at him. "Do you?" She stood up and walked out of the room. "I wonder. Very interesting, very interesting indeed."

He looked confused and scratched his head.

Ino, Genji, and Ryoji were standing in the hall looking at a message praising strength and fortitude. It was written by the Raikage and was intended to greet those who passed.

Yugao was standing next to them with a grin on her face. "You've all done very well. I look forward to seeing you in the finals."

The proctor for the exam spoke up as she moved up to meet them. "As do I. Very impressive. No one has ever completed this exam in less than twenty four hours."

The trio seemed pleased with themselves, and Ryoji and Genji both flushed a bit. They were being silent and hanging back. Neither was about to admit that Ino had far more to do with it than they did.

Yugao put her hand on the blond girl's shoulders. "Well, I'm certain it will be interesting."

Yugito gave her a friendly smile. "Indeed. We'll all be very interested in watching it." She nodded to the Chunin standing guard nearby. "We have some rooms prepared. You'll remain here until the exam is completed. Enjoy your stay."

The Leaf Jounin led her team towards the door and left Yugito standing next to the Chunin who had informed her. He'd followed her out after a moment. The woman glanced back at him and looked very serious. "Get me Raikage."

He looked surprised. "Yes, Ma'am. What should I tell him?"

The woman arched her eyebrow and frowned at him. "You brought me the video and you don't know?"

It only confused him further. "Know?"

She smiled. "Don't you get it? That girl sneaked up on two Hyuuga, was unaffected by the Gentle Fist Style, and killed a member of their clan with no difficulty."

He opened his mouth and closed it. "Huh?"

Yugito grinned and narrowed her eyes at the door the team had left the room through. "The Yamanaka clan has developed a counter to the Byakugan. Not only that, but they've discovered a way to nullify the Gentle Fist Style. I believe he will be very interested in hearing of this. Go get him right now."

He nodded and rushed away.

OooOOooOO

The exams were nearly over, four teams had made it to the bunker. One of Kumo's teams, Ino's team, and both of the remaining teams with Hyuuga members on them.

Ino was sitting at the table in a small cafeteria with her two teammates. She had her head hung and a small meal in front of her.

Neji and Ayume were sitting across from her at the opposite table. Neji was ignoring her, Ayume was staring straight at her.

Genji frowned at Ino. "Hey, quit glaring. You'll only make it worse."

She glanced at him, picked up her tray, walked over and sat down across from the two Hyuuga. "Hey."

Neji looked over at her. "Get lost."

She smirked. "Make me."

Ayume growled. "You're pretty brave." She turned her head away and kept eating.

"You're trying to kill me." The blond leaned over her tray. "I know about it. Your cousin had a big mouth."

Neji chuckled. "So, you met Nishi? I was wondering why he's not here." He hunched over his food.

Ino glared at the girl who was looking away and ignoring her. "I killed him."

Both the Hyuuga snapped around to look at her and neither one spoke.

Ino didn't act like she noticed. "Why are you after me? What's the problem?"

Ayume snarled. "You're lying, Nishi..."

"I should have gotten him to talk more first. I tried beating it out of Hinata, but she kept her mouth shut." She was giving them both a cold glare and eating in a casual manner as she spoke. "Now it's just the two of you, and you both know damn well you can't touch me before the finals. Why are you trying to kill me?"

"Trying?" The female Hyuuga had a rage in her eyes. "I will kill you."

Neji turned away. "I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd kill him."

Ino shrugged. "Him or me. Care to explain why it came down to that?"

The boy shrugged again. "What makes you think we can? If she doesn't kill you in the finals, I will. Make your preparations before the matches begin."

Tenten and Rock Lee were both sitting in silence with their jaws hanging as they looked on. Ayume's two teammates slid further down the table and ignored the conversation on purpose.

Lee leaned in. "What is the meaning of this? What does she speak of?"

Neji frowned at him. "Mind your own business, it's a family matter."

Tenten turned away. "Did the Yamanaka family do something to the Hyuuga clan?"

The long haired boy shoved some rice into his mouth. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing for you to concern yourself with."

Lee narrowed his eyes. "If word of this returns to the Yamanaka clan, there could be trouble."

Neji shrugged. "It's the Chunin exams. If I kill her here, there can be no charges."

Tenten glanced at him. "Charges might be the least of your worries. It's obvious it's true. We overheard you. This is pretty close to murder you know. What's going on? This is serious and you should know damn well the Yamanaka clan won't ignore it. Don't forget that Akamichi and Nara will back them up."

Ayume narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Are you going to tell on us then? We're protected by the rules of the exam."

Lee shook his head. "What makes you think the Yamanaka clan will care?"

Neji gave a half snort. "What makes you think they'll risk moving against the Hyuuga over it? It's perfectly legal."

Rock gave a sigh and looked uncomfortable. "Legal does not mean right. I find this very troubling."

Ino hadn't moved and was listening in. "You know. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Neither of you two jerks is strong enough to kill me. Sooner or later, I'm going to find out what this is about."

Ayume leaned in. "Do you intend to kill us then?"

The blond girl didn't seem worried. "Only if I have too."

Neji gave her a nod. "Good luck. I've got nothing against you personally, but I can't let you live either."

Ino was frustrated by that. "Why the hell not? What's the damn problem? I'd rather talk this out than end up killing you both. If you're going to try and kill me you at least owe me an explanation for it."

Neji poked at his food. "It's over our heads. We're just the branch family. You should be able to figure out the rest on your own."

Ino narrowed her eyes and stood up and returned to her table leaving the group alone again. She was frustrated and angry at them both, but at least she'd picked up something out of the confrontation.

Ayume's jaw dropped. He was pretty much explaining that the Main Branch had ordered it. She glared down at her plate and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "What's his angle on this anyway? What's with him?" She leaned in and whispered at him, "What is wrong with you? Are you trying to get killed?"

He just gave a small sigh. "The one I really want to fight isn't here. I could care less about Ino. The main branch is behaving like spoiled children who have seen another child with a better toy. Instead of adapting and improving their faults and correcting the flaws, they seek to break the other child's toy. It's pathetic. I'd rather grow stronger and overcome it."

Lee hung his head as he thought on that. "I see. I begin to understand this even if I cannot condone it. I intend to defeat her in the finals before either of you gets your chance."

Tenten nodded. "Well, I could care less. I'd rather not get dragged into it. It's none of my business. I don't intend to lose either though. Not to you, and not to her." She glanced over at Ayume.

The Hyuuga girl nodded. "You'll lose, but I'll let you live. I'm only interested in Yamanaka's life. I could care less about yours." She didn't look pleased. Neji had pretty much announced what was going on without stating it directly. Hiashi would not be pleased if he learned of it. She had no love for the main branch and had no intention of bringing it up, but that didn't change what might happen if Neji got caught either.

OooOOooOO

It was late evening in the halls of the dorms within the bunker. The building was dark and silent, and two figures stood in the hall opposite each other conversing.

Maito Gai frowned and crossed his arms as he stood in a hallway with Yugao. "We have a problem."

The woman gave a grave nod. "Yes. I heard about Nishi."

The man arched his eyebrow. "Nishi? What of him?"

The kunoichi arched her's back. "You first."

Gai nodded, "My student Lee, brings disturbing news. It seems that Yamanaka Ino has done something to offend the Hyuuga clan. I am told that they have death on their minds in the final exam."

Yugao bit her lip and cursed. "Shit. I was afraid of something like that. Nishi is dead, Yamanaka killed him. He apparently ambushed them by himself, and she managed to sneak up on him and gained the upper hand. They had a fight on one of the mountains in the second exam. It was unusual though. It was early on, and it didn't seem to be over any objective. He also did it alone."

Gai got wide eyed. "What? I see." He shook his head. "I do not think that is the root of this problem, rather a result of it." He gave a heavy sigh. "I think this problem extends beyond the exams. Perhaps a rift between the Hyuuga and Yamanaka clans?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. "I've not heard anything about something like that."

"Lee spoke of a conversation between Neji, the girl Ayume, and Ino over lunch today. From what I understand, it seemed implied that the two young Hyuuga are under some sort of order to eliminate her, using the rules of the exam as a shield. She apparently discovered this when she battled Hyuuga Nishi, and confronted them about it. I am to understand that is what provoked her to attack Hinata."

The woman frowned again. "Attack Hinata? I hadn't heard about that yet."

Gai closed his eyes and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Yes. She apparently dragged her away from her team and assaulted her. I do not know the details, but Hinata sustained a small injury as a result. It is believed that Kiba and Shino intervened."

"I'll ask her about it." Yugao nodded and took the same position on the opposite wall. "What's going on though? Doing something like this at the exams?"

Gai seemed to think about it. "A perfect place for such an attack. The rules would protect the assassins from investigation, and there are no laws to prevent this sort of behavior. I intend to speak with Neji about this, but I am uncertain if it will do any good. As I said, it seemed implied that this was an order from within the clan. You and I both know of Neji's history, and he may not have an option but to obey."

Yugao growled. "I never did care much for the idea behind that seal. Any other time and this would be murder."

The man worked his mind as he found himself with a frustrating dilemma. "Odd though. No word of any problems between the two clans, not even in rumor. It's a big risk for the Hyuuga, and I am left wondering who would order such a thing?"

The kunoichi nodded. "I agree. This could be a serious problem. Things like this rarely end with the exams. It's not been a problem in many years. I heard about this sort of thing between the Hyuuga, and the Uchiha clans in the past. Not within the last sixty years though. Even then it was pretty rare."

Gai pushed off the wall. "The Yamanaka clan is not in a favorable position. Against the Hyuuga they have little chance. Even with the support of Akamichi and Nara it is still not favorable for them."

Yugao looked over at him. "I'm left wondering if that's really true. Ino...no way!" She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

Gai narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

The woman looked at him. "It's right under our noses. Don't you get it?"

The man shook his head. "I do not. Explain."

"Think about what's happened. Yamanaka Ino sneaked up on Nishi, flanked him, and defeated him. Then, she managed to ambush Hinata. She was in hostile territory and alert and prepared for an attack."

Gai balled up his fist. "It...wait. A..counter for the Byakugan?" It seemed to dawn on him all at once. "As strange as it sounds, that...makes sense."

Yugao nodded. "Exactly. I don't think this is about clan affairs. I think this is between the Hyuuga, and Uzumaki's Shinobi Team." She rubbed at her arm. "I can't say how or when, but I've seen all of them get around the Hyuuga before. I've seen them avoid them successfully, without being seen. The Byakugan was useless. I never thought that they might have a way to counter it. I just assumed they were avoiding being within range of it."

Gai nodded. "Yes. Naruto defeated Neji soundly in the last Chunin exam. I witnessed it, I assumed it was an impressive use of clones and skill. I never even thought of a counter to the Byakugan."

Yugao shook her head. "It's more than that. I saw the video of the fight between her and Nishi. She made quick work of him, and she took several strikes as well. It's not just a counter for the Byakugan, it's also a counter for the Gentle Fist Style."

Gai thought about it and his mind went back to the exams again. "How could I have been so blind?"

The kunoichi arched her eyebrow. "So, it seems we've got a very serious concern here. I don't think this is going to stop with the exam."

Maito agreed. "No. I doubt that is the case. It's a very serious problem for the Hyuuga and definite motivation to act."

The woman looked down the hall. "So, what do we do about it?"

He closed his eyes and thought again. "A difficult muse. I cannot pull them from the exam. At this point, they attend as individuals and only they can back out. I will of course inform the Hokage of this. It's an issue that should be brought to her attention."

Yugao frowned. "Yes. I agree. I hope she can reign in whoever is responsible for this."

Gai put his hands in his pockets and looked at her. "Given what we know that should be obvious. For a problem like this, Hiashi would act. Putting it into light will make things difficult for him and offer a measure of protection for Uzumaki and his team. However, I do not think they can trust the Hyuuga clan. This is something that any opportunity that is given will be acted on."

The woman nodded. "Yes. They'll have to watch their backs."

Gai turned away. "I do not expect much will come of this. We leave Kumo tomorrow and return in a month. Not even the Hokage can change the rules of the exam or take away the Hyuuga clan's opportunity to act here. I doubt she will inform anyone other than Hiashi that she is aware of this issue. You can expect an order of silence on the matter." He glanced at her. "Perhaps it would be best if Ino was suggested to return in the next exams?"

Yugao narrowed her eyes. "Not an option. She's not at liberty to decide the matter."

Gai nodded. "I see. Well, it is beyond my power to forbid Neji from attending the finals. I may have been able to do something if this had come to light sooner, but now..."

The violet haired woman smirked. "All we can do is watch and see."

The man took a few steps. "I do not believe I will speak to Neji of this. It would serve no purpose, he will leave to prepare for the finals on his own."

The kunoichi turned away as well. "It should be interesting if nothing else. I'll speak to Ino about it. She and her team should know the Hyuuga cannot be trusted. She is already aware, but I do not think she understands why."

"I've learned enough."

Both adults froze and turned to look at the blond girl leaning against the wall behind them.

Yugao narrowed her eyes. "How long have you been there?"

She turned to look at Yugao and smiled. "I followed you out of the room. I was faking being asleep." She gave a small shrug and smiled. "I saw Gai pass you that note earlier, and I know Neji is on his team. I also remember enough about Lee to realize that he would say something. He really trusts his master and looks up to him. So, it wasn't hard to figure out what you were sneaking off to talk about. They're trying to kill me, and I need to know why. Now I do. A counter for the Byakugan? Huh. I guess I never thought about it that way, I just figured it wasn't as impressive as people said. Makes sense though now that I think about it."

The woman seemed to relax and nodded. She didn't look upset. "Right. Well, I guess I can't say you've not been trained well. You should be careful though. Warn your team when you get back, and prepare yourself. You should be ready for an opponent that is looking to kill you if you end up facing one of the Hyuuga in the finals." With a small sigh she started towards the rooms. "Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and be able to avoid it?"

Ino gave a snort. "Well, I sure hope I at least get that Ayume brat. I want to pound her face in." She slapped her fist into her palm and looked annoyed as she said it.

The two kunoichi went back to their room leaving Gai standing in the hall. He scratched his head, gave a small sigh and returned to his room. "I suppose even girls have the passion of youth burning in their blood. Though I admit I do not understand how they sometimes express it."

OooOOooOO

The Raikage looked out over the remaining four teams. The second exam had ended, and the teams would be returning in a month for the finals. They could have stayed in Kumo if they had wished, sometimes visiting Nin remained, but Fire Country wasn't very far away. It was optional, and Konohagakure wasn't inclined to leave two Hyuuga in Kumo for a month. That wasn't their official position, but everyone knew it was the case.

They also didn't know that the illustrious eyes of the clan had lost some of their luster in Raikage's eyes. He still desired them, but something very interesting had come up, very interesting indeed.

He had a frown on his face. "Only one of our teams made it through. Shameful."

Yugito was beside him and nodded with a serious expression on her face. "The blond one."

The large man had his chin on his fist as he sat in a throne and glared out over the teams as they were given instructions for the rules of the finals and were given their positions in the standings. "You're certain of this? A counter for the Byakugan?"

She smirked and nodded. "You've seen the evidence for yourself. We've got proof she managed to sneak up on two Hyuuga undetected, and that the Gentle Fist was ineffective against her."

The man played with his mustache. "It could be a trick of some sort, to make the Byakugan seem less appealing."

Yugito glanced at him. "She killed one of them, and I'm to understand she beat and tortured another. The other Hyuuga girl's team had to rescue her and she had to be treated for a few injuries. Bruises to her throat and body, and small puncture wounds on her neck. She was choked severely. It seems unlikely that this is a case of deception."

He grunted and glared at Ino. "Make sure she faces the remaining Hyuuga in the finals."

Yugito chuckled. "They bribed Samui to request the same thing. I've done some digging around, and there's an anonymous price on her head now. Interesting that, she's quite something it seems."

The man clenched his fist. "What do you suspect? A new bloodline? We need to figure out what this is. Without the Uchiha clan, Konoha's strongest link is the Hyuuga. With a way to counter that, we'll have a definite advantage."

The woman looked at him. "Perhaps the exams will help shed some light on that? I'm not sure what to make of it yet."

Raikage nodded as he stood up. "Heh. To think, something to look forward to. She'd better impress."

Yugito bowed a little as she backed away so he could give his speech before the Genin. "Given what I've seen so far, there is little doubt of that. She beat the old record in the second exam by sixteen hours."

The man narrowed his eyes as he strolled forward to address the gathered Genin. "Heh. Well, we'll see."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: Team Yugao's little break.


	35. Chapter 35

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

Part 35

The conversation.

OooOOooOO

Yugao smiled as her group stood before the gates of Konoha. "Ah, home at last."

Ino gave a nod and looked back at the two boys behind her. They both looked winded and sweaty. "Yeah. Look at those two, it's pathetic."

The violet haired woman gave a small sigh. "Well, the team part of the exam is over. The three of you are on your own."

Ino narrowed her eyes. "Hey. Technically, we're on your team until the exams are over right?"

The older kunoichi seemed a little surprised and nodded. "Yes. You won't be getting any missions or assignments, and I'm responsible for you."

Genji frowned. "So what?"

"Yeah, we'll see you in a couple of weeks." Ryoji seemed to agree.

Neither of them liked the way the conversation was going and looked suspicious of Ino. The blond girl glanced back and put her hand on her hip. "Can I get you to give these two lazy slugs to me until we leave? I know I'm still a Genin and all, but if they don't pass, the next exam, some other poor Genin is going to get stuck with them. Heck, they might even ruin two perfectly good teams with their presence."

Yugao looked back at them and then at her. "Well, just don't break them. Seeing as your 'status' isn't really a secret in this group, they should both know that you outrank them, even if only on a technicality."

Ino smiled and looked at them both. "Great. Well, I'll see you both tomorrow morning then. Even if I have to come get you and drag you away. It'll hurt less if I don't."

"Hey!" Genji looked annoyed. "No way! You can't do this to us!"

Ryoji nodded. "He's right. We can see to our own training. We've always done it before, and we'll be fine."

Yugao frowned at them both as a dark shadow fell over her face. "Look where it's gotten you both. Are you disobeying a direct order? Maybe I should help out too? Just to make sure, I'd hate to be responsible for two failures. I'm sure their parents won't mind. I know Genji's father, and I'm definitely sure it won't bother him. I've met Ryoji's parents as well, and I can say the same about him."

The two boys backed away and looked at Ino. "What time do we have to be here?" asked Genji as his shoulders slumped as he just gave up all at once.

"Yeah. Just let us know where to be. I suppose getting tutored won't hurt," agreed Ryoji as he did the same.

Ino shrugged. "Well, yeah it will actually, just not as much if you do what you're told." She seemed to think on it. "I guess since tomorrow is our first day, we'll go easy and start at six A.M." She turned to skip away and waved. "Enjoy your day off!"

Yugao gave a small sigh and seemed pleased as the two boys sulked off. "I like that girl. I'm looking forward to working with her." She turned into the village and stalled for a moment. Hiashi was standing in the crowd looking on with his youngest daughter at his side. The man was watching Ino out of the corner of his eyes, and didn't look very pleased to see her. He lifted Hinabi into his arms and started walking away.

OooOOooOO

Kira smiled as she opened the door and found a young blond kunoichi standing in front of the doorway. "Huh? Can I help you?"

Ino recalled her, she was the most familiar of the home's residents to her besides Naruto himself. "Oh. Hey. Is Naruto around? I need to talk to him about something. It's kind of important."

The violet haired kitsune shook her head. "Well, no. Would you like to leave him a message? He's down at the Den right now."

The kunoichi cocked her eyebrow. "The Den? Um, it's kind of important. Someone is trying to kill us and all. It's better if I just tell him myself. What the hell is the Den anyway?"

Kira blinked and something seemed to dawn on her. "Oh. A skinny blond girl with no chest or hips! You must be Ino. Hello." She cheered up. "You've been away at the exam right? I guess you wouldn't know." She paused. "Wait. What do you mean 'someone is trying to kill us'?"

The blond was irritated. "Skinny blond girl with no chest or hips? What? Who told you that? I'm hot damn it! I'll bet it was Naruto! That jerk!"

The violet haired girl shook her head. "No. It was Sasuke who mentioned what you looked like."

Ino's eye twitched. "Huh?"

The Kitsune gave a small sigh. "Well, I'm afraid I'm watching Kitsuma at the moment, or I'd show you. Just head down towards Ichiraku and you can't miss it."

The young kunoichi sulked off in that general direction.

OooOOooOO

Ino's eye was twitching again as she looked at the rather garish neon sign. It was a half naked woman with a fox's tail and ears sitting between the words 'The Fox Den' while kicking one of her legs up and down. Ichiraku was still there, but was now right up next to a large building with red lighted windows, and a pair of doors labeled entrance and exit. A dull thumping could be heard from within as bass heavy music played in the rather long building that now took up about half the square that had once only been occupied by the Ramen booth. "What the hell?"

The owner of the booth had a grin on his face and all but one of the seats were filled. Teuchi grinned at her. "Ah, hello. Welcome."

The girl pointed at the building. "Hey. When did this get here? What the hell is this place anyway?"

The man shook his head and crossed his arms. "Well, you're a bit young for that place. I gotta admit though, it's really done wonders for my business." The Ramen booth had been expanded, and was now attached to the side of the building with a kitchen space and storage on the side, leaving the opposite side of the original counter open for more seats. "The best part is, now I pay my rent in Ramen! The owner of this place gets a free meal whenever he wants. Usually once or twice a day. I've been making a killing since this place opened!"

Ino looked annoyed. "How long has it been here anyway? I've only been gone two weeks."

Teuchi nodded. "About that long. You must have just missed it. What does it matter anyway? Like I said, wouldn't you rather have a bowl of Ramen? You're not old enough for that place yet kid. Hey. Oh well." He didn't care much, the girl would figure it out soon enough.

The girl ignored him and walked into the bar. She got a bit wide eyed as half naked women strolled around small tables with serving trays, with a few dancing on small stages with poles. A vaguely familiar redhead was dancing on the main stage, with a half naked green haired DJ playing music in a small raised booth next to it. There were several large speakers, and while the bass was heavy, they weren't turned up very loud. It was early in the day, but the place was pretty crowded regardless. There were no plain lights, but only colored ones. The place was set up so some sections were lit red, yellow, blue, or blacklit. The whole place could be lit up by any one of those colors.

One of the girls walked up and smiled at her. She had short cut brown hair and a smirk on her face. "You lost? You're a little young..." She put her arm around her shoulder and started directing her towards the exit gently.

Ino just shoved her arm off. "Where's Naruto?"

The strange girl blinked. "Huh? The Boss?"

The blond was getting irate. "Yeah. Where is he?" She looked around and shook her head. "Never mind. I'll find him." She walked over to a familiar face, two of them actually.

Sakura had her face in her hands and looked annoyed and tired. Shizune was beside her looking much the same. The older Kunoichi gave a small sigh and a weak smile at her pink haired companion. "At least I've got someone to sit with."

The young kunoichi glowered at her. "How did you put up with this?"

The dark haired woman gave a small shrug. "The training is good. She's a wonderful person, just...flawed."

Ino walked up to the scene. "Hey. What's up? What the heck are you doing here?"

Her teammate looked up at her. "Huh? Ino? When did you get back?"

The blond scratched her head. "About an hour ago. What are you doing in here? Have you seen Naruto?"

"I'm here with the Hokage." The pink haired girl shook her head. "Nobody 'sees' Naruto unless he wants you to find him. He's around. Just go up to the bar and ask for him."

Tsunade was cheerfully sitting at a long table for dice with a flushed face and cocky grin on her face. She was shaking the cup and looking pleased. "All right! Come on Seven!"

Ino hung her head a little. "Oh. That's right. That whole 'Legendary Sucker' thing."

Sakura gave a small nod. "Yeah." Shizune put her arm across her shoulder and gave her a small reassuring shake.

The blond made her way towards the bar. Another half naked girl she didn't know was standing behind it, there were three of them. All of the others were showing off and tossing mixers and bottles about as they served various Nin and villagers. There were a surprising amount of women present. Anko was sitting in one of the back booths, and several more were at the bar. The bartender she approached gave a small frown. "You're a little young. We can't serve anyone under eighteen Alcohol by order of the Hokage, so..."

Ino sat on the stool in front of her. "I need to see Naruto, it's important."

The strange girl nodded and moved off. Ino sat for a few moments and turned around to look about at the bar. Kakashi was sitting quietly in a back corner with a drink in his hands next to Gai. The recently returned Jounin was looking about and seemed to be taking the place in.

A familiar voice piped up right next to her as she looked about. "What do you think? Not bad I guess."

In the past, Ino would have jumped out of her skin. She just turned to look at Naruto. "It's all right I guess. I don't know any of these girls."

The boy gave a shrug he was seated next to her with a soda in his hands. "They're all Kitsune. I'm just here helping them open things up. I had to sign some stuff and all." At first, Naruto thought he couldn't make any contracts, but it turned out that he could do certain things like rentals and owning things. It was in the fine print, but he could get into contracts that involve cash payments or property. He kind of had to just to live like a normal person. He just couldn't use himself as payment, or collateral, or form any sort of 'relationship' contract. That pretty much ruled out summoning Jutsu, or signing away his soul, or getting married, and that sort of thing. "It's pretty easy really, I get an office and all, but I don't really have to do anything. They take care of it all themselves. Legally it's my place, but I'm really just signing my name to it for them. Turns out they've been trying to do something like this for a while, but something to do with property laws made it difficult or something. Anyway, what brings you? How did the exam go?" He turned to look at her. "You didn't fail did you? You'd better not have failed."

The blond girl nodded. "I guess it's nice...for what it is. A strip club? The Fifth must be pretty lax. Seriously, the Third never would have..."

Naruto chuckled as the old man walked by between two buxom figures looking quite pleased and spry as they walked with him towards one of the booths. "Don't be so sure. Anyway, you didn't fail right? I had to stick my neck out you know, if you make me look bad to the Hokage by failing. I'm afraid..."

The girl glared at him. "I'm doing fine. I'm in the finals all right. We have to be back in Kumogakure in about a month." She turned back to the bar again. "We need to get the team together. We've got a problem."

Naruto arched his eyebrow. "We do? What do you mean 'we'?"

The young Genin hung her head and gave a deep sigh. "I'd rather just tell everyone at once. We need to have a team meeting soon. Where's Sasuke? Sakura is right over there."

Naruto hopped off his seat and gave a heavy sigh. "All right. Come on. There's a room in the back we can use." He looked at the fox girl behind the bar. "Hey, do me a favor and make sure Sasuke and Sakura meet me in the office?"

The blond girl sucked in a sharp breath. "Sasuke is here? Where is he? What's he doing in a place like this?"

Naruto ignored her and moved towards the back waving for her to follow.

OooOOooOO

Hiashi frowned as he sat in front of Ayume and Neji. "I did not ask how your exam was going."

Ayume balled up her fist a little and stifled a growl. Neji looked as calm as ever and didn't seem to care about his uncle snapping at him.

"Why is Yamanaka Ino still alive? You were given instructions to kill her. Nishi is dead, and the two of you have failed. Explain."

Ayume turned her eyes further away despite already bowing. "Nishi attacked her on his own. I tried to get him to help me and ambush her after she acquired a key, so we could better use the exam to hide our intent. He was overconfident and impatient."

The man closed his eyes and nodded. "I do not care about passing the exam or appearances. I expected results, both of you have failed."

Neji shook his head. "I have not even attempted yet. I know better than to try chasing that girl around the woods. She has an advantage in such an environment. That's why we're after her in the first place. It was foolish to bother with her in the second exam. Once the finals start, she will be confined, and forced to face us directly. That is the best time to strike."

Ayume gasped and glared at him. "What? And if she didn't make it to the finals? Then what?"

Neji shook his head. "I knew better. There was no way she was going to fail the second exam. The only way she might have failed is if you or Nishi managed to surprise her and kill one of her teammates. Once she was alerted to your presence, you weren't able to track her. Just her two teammates. A lot of good that did you. You never got the opportunity to attack her did you? You were doomed to failure, and if she didn't make it to the finals, it would have been your fault for trying and failing to kill her in an environment where she had the advantage."

Hiashi grunted. "Enough. I can see at least one of you has some sort of plan at least. That doesn't excuse this though. Failure is not an option. We may not get another opportunity like this. They must all die, and we'll be risking enough just eliminating the other three. Missing this opportunity will only make things more difficult in the future. She had better die."

The two young Hyuuga both nodded.

The man waved his hand. "Now go. You've both got a lot of preparation to do. Forget about the exam, kill Yamanaka. This is the focus of your training. Being promoted to Chunin should not concern you."

The pair stood up and left him. Ayume growled at Neji as she stepped in front of him. "What the hell was that? Are you trying to get us both killed?"

The boy snorted. "Don't be foolish. He needs us both right now. If we succeed he'll forget if I'm a little rude."

His cousin turned her eyes away. "Yeah. Maybe. You've always had an attitude Neji, but if you're going to provoke our uncle, do it when I'm not right next to you."

The boy put his hands in his pockets. "You can train as hard as you want, but you won't beat Yamanaka. Just try not to get killed. I'll take care of the rest."

The girl frowned at him over her shoulder. "Fuck you, Neji. I'll kill her, you just sit back and watch."

OooOOooOO

Ino was glaring at Naruto with her arms crossed as she sat in front of the desk with Sakura. The pink haired girl looked annoyed as well, but also a bit relieved to be away from Tsunade. The hooded nin had his feet up on the desk and his hands behind his head.

"What's this about?" The pink haired girl glanced over at the blond Kunoichi.

Ino flushed and turned her eyes away. "It's complicated. I'll explain once...Ooooh!"

"Wow!" Both Sakura and Ino both got rather large hearts in their eyes.

Sasuke walked into the room without a shirt on with a towel over his shoulders as he leaned against the door. "Hey. What's up? Some kind of team meeting? Better be good, I'm still a little stiff."

Ino was latched onto his arm and seemed to be drooling a little. "Sasuke. I had no idea you were so cut!"

Sakura was on his other arm. "Yeah. I..." She seemed to come back out of her stupor a little. "Wait. What are you doing here, and where is your shirt?"

The black haired boy gave a small sigh. "When did she get back?" He frowned at Ino and jerked his thumb at her.

"Today. I'm glad I found your chest, I mean butt, I mean abs. It's nice to see you again." She also seemed to snap out of it a little. "Say. Are you oiled up? What are you doing half naked and oiled up in a place like this?"

He narrowed his eyes at both girls. "I was getting a massage. This place is a massage parlor you know. Mind your own business."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah. The Kitsune are really good at it. You should both try it some time. Anyone is welcome, and it's free for the team."

Ino shook her head. "You should have just asked me. I'd have been glad to take care of it."

Sakura shoved her aside. "Forget her. I'm training as a medic! I'm a trained professional!"

Sasuke slipped from their grip and moved beside Naruto behind the desk. "I'm not here just to say hello to Ino am I?"

The blond boy shook his head. "No. At least, that had better not be it. She said something about an important matter and we needed to get together."

Sakura cocked her head and put her finger to her lips. "Oh yeah. This is some kind of meeting, right?"

The other kunoichi blushed a little. Sasuke's skin was glistening in the light of the desk lamp. "Oh. Right. I almost forgot." She took a breath and seemed to shake herself out of it again. "The Hyuuga are trying to kill us. They tried to assassinate me at the exams. Neji and this other Hyuuga girl named Ayume are both going to try and kill me in the finals. I'm sure of it. It turns out that they're under orders from the Hyuuga Main Branch, probably from the clan head Hiashi."

Naruto fell over in his chair and scrambled to his knees to look over the desk with wide eyes. "Huh?"

Sasuke crossed his arms and glared at her. "Say what?"

Sakura looked a bit like a fish working her mouth open and closed. "I uh...huh?"

Ino nodded. "Yeah. It turns out that that Chakra sealing technique Naruto taught us is a counter to the Byakugan."

The raven haired boy snorted and shrugged. "Yeah. So what?" It was effective against the Sharingan in his experience as well, but he wasn't about to say it out loud either.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I already knew that too." He stood up and dusted off his knees. "What's this about them trying to kill us."

Ino frowned at him. "Well, it turns out it's also a counter to the Gentle Fist Style. It's pretty much ineffective against us. I don't think the Hyuuga know about that part though."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Neji does. I already knew about that part. I wouldn't rely on it either. It's nice to know they probably can't hurt us with Gentle Fist, but standing there and taking it isn't a good idea either." He kicked up his chair and sat back down. "What's this about Hiashi and killing us?"

The blond girl rolled her eyes. "You haven't figured it out? Hiashi sees us as a threat. I'm pretty sure he only knows that we've countered the Byakugan. That's a serious problem for the Hyuuga, and they've sent Branch Family assassins to kill me in the exam. I already killed one Hyuuga in the second exam. I'm sure that Ayume is trying to kill me, and Neji has outright said that he intends to as well. I believe him too. He's looking to fight you again, but I don't think he's happy about being used as an assassin. He's the one who told me about the Main Branch wanting us dead. He didn't directly say it, but it was pretty clear what he meant. I'm also pretty sure they aren't just out to get rid of me. I'm just the easiest target right now because of the exams. We can't trust the Hyuuga."

The Jounin nodded and seemed to think about it. "Well, that's not good."

Sasuke rubbed at his shoulder. "Well, I'm not that surprised."

Ino nodded and looked serious. "All of us need to be on guard. The Hyuuga clan will be looking for any opportunity to get at any one of us."

Sakura looked a bit upset. "What do we do though? We can't just sit and do nothing!" She looked over at Ino. "We should tell the Hokage. I'm her apprentice, so..."

The blond kunoichi shrugged back at her. "I wouldn't worry about it. Yugao sensei and Gai both know. They said they were going to say something to her about it."

Naruto sat back again. "Well, not much we can do at the moment. I mean, Ino is going to have to take care of herself in the exams." He looked at her. "Watch out for Neji most of all. Don't forget he and I have fought before. I can guarantee you that he knows about our resistance to Gentle Fist, and how we can counter the Byakugan. I don't know how much that girl might know, but yous should assume he's mentioned it to her."

The kunoichi nodded and her face grew a little firmer. "Right. No way I'm gonna lose. I'm looking forward to kicking that brat Ayume's face in. I've got her as my first match in the finals. I can deal with her no problem."

Naruto stood up and turned his back to the group. "Well, this explains a lot. I was wondering who put that price on our head."

Sakura gasped, and even Sasuke seemed a bit surprised at that one. Ino narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean price?"

The hooded nin turned to face them again. "Two days ago, I got word that there was a price on all of us. A big one. It totals about a half million Ryo for all of us dead. It's an anonymous bounty, and I was trying to figure out where it came from." He scratched at his chin and seemed to think. "I was thinking that Orochimaru guy, but it's pretty clear that's not the case anymore. The Hyuuga Clan has put a price on all of us."

Sasuke seemed a bit irate with him. "And you were planning on telling us when?"

Their Jounin shrugged as he realized they all looked a bit irate with him. "I was looking into it. I was going to bring it up, none of us is leaving Konoha for a while. I was waiting for Ino to get back and hoping to dig up a little more before I brought it up."

The raven haired boy frowned. "How did you hear about this?"

Naruto looked away from him. "I've got my ways."

Sakura smirked and leaned towards the raven haired boy. "The Foxes. He's using them as a spy network. It's the real reason for this bar of his too."

Ino blinked. "Hey. I noticed a few during the exam and while we were on the way there and back. You mean, they were watching me for him? You were spying on me?"

The hooded nin didn't make direct eye contact. "Well, no. I mean, I heard about how you were doing, but there are foxes pretty much everywhere. I'm the king of all of them. They weren't following you or anything. They were just doing what they do naturally, and letting me in on anything they noticed. That's all."

Sasuke seemed to think about it. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Never really thought that much of it before. I mean, I remember you using them to find things out about an area before and checking up on things for us while we were on missions before..." He paused and seemed to realize. "Hey. A global spy network? Man, must be pretty useful."

Naruto nodded and gave a small sigh. "Yeah. A lot more so if you don't ever mention it. So shut the hell up about it. I've got them working on stuff as it its, and it's a lot more dangerous for them if they get compromised. So just forget about it. I don't have any spies, and you don't know anything about it. Get me? It's a topic that's off limits, and it's a lot more useful if nobody ever finds out about it." He leaned across the desk and got a very dark tone. "I seriously will cut out your tongue to shut you up about it if I have too."

The group gave a collective nod. Sasuke looked the least disturbed. "So, people want to kill us. What else is new? Are we done? I only got half my back done. I'm still a little stiff."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah. Not much else we can do right now."

Ino stood up. "I'll be glad to...ooof!"

Sakura elbowed her in the gut to shove her aside. "...finish that up for you!"

He tossed the towel over his shoulder and shook his head. "I'd rather not have a conversation and I don't want someone trying to turn it into a date. I'll let the kitsune handle it. Most of them have had a few hundred years of practice. See you." He left the room leaving two disappointed looking girls.

Naruto gave a small sigh. "You know. You don't have to be a guy to get a massage here. There's a couple different kinds if massages offered, plus spa treatments like mud baths, hot oil, seaweed wraps, saunas, a couple of tanning beds, manicures and pedicures, waxing, hairstylists, all sorts of stuff. We specialize in massages, but we're also home to a combined more than one hundred thousand years of health and beauty experience."

The two girls looked at him with wide eyes and hanging jaws.

Sakura stammered. "S..spa?"

Ino scrunched up her eyebrows. "So, it's a titty bar, and health spa?"

The hooded nin gave a nod. "Yeah. The titty bar is there for the guys, but we're here to service all of Konoha and Fire Country's health and beauty needs as well. You can get to the spa and stylist by going down the hall, but there's another entrance on the other side of the building so you don't have to go through the bar if you don't want."

Ino seemed to think on it. "F-free?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. As a perk of being on Team Seven and all. If you want to drink alcohol you've got to pay, but anything else is free for the team."

Sakura just managed to snap out of her stupor. "Wait. Sasuke is half naked and all alone in this place!"

The blond girl snapped around to look at her. "Wh...well. Um...he did say free. I do need to get my hair done, and my hands and feet are a mess. I've been running around the mountains again because of the exam."

Naruto sat in silence hoping to not get any further involved. He knew it was best to not add anything to this particular conversation.

The pink haired girl grabbed the blond by her collar. "Did you even hear me? Sasuke is alone, and half naked in a brothel." She pointed her finger at Naruto. "He won't say anything, but you and I both know what this place really is."

Ino waved her hand and smiled. "Come on. It's Sasuke we're talking about. He could have his way with either of us for free and he knows it. Why would he come to a place like this? Get real, he's not the type for that sort of thing. He's so shy he'll barely talk to us. Do you really think these Kitsune could do any better than us?"

Naruto remained silent and deliberately picked up a magazine to read.

Sakura gave a small sigh and seemed to think on it. "Hey. You're right. If it was anyone but Sasuke, I might worry a little. With that attitude of his, there's no way he's coming to a place like this. Thanks, I feel better. I mean, why come to a brothel when he's got two hot girls like us to take care of him. I mean, neither of us is shy about letting him know. You're right. There's nothing to worry about, he's known us for years, and he's got difficulty opening up. No way he's doing anything with some girl he doesn't even know in a place like this. Especially a prostitute. It's silly. We'd both do it for free."

"Well, at least, one hot girl anyway." Ino nodded and walked out with her. "Hey. I'm going to head home and let Mom and Dad know I'm back. I'll meet you up here and we'll get our hair done and get a manicure and pedicure! It'll be fun!"

The pink haired kunoichi seemed to agree. "All right. I haven't had a manicure in ages."

Naruto kept his face in his magazine until they left and peered over it. That had been close. As much fun as it would have been to point out to them that Sasuke also had free access to the services. He also always had a 'Happy Ending Special' when he got a massage. He didn't do it very often, but he'd been in twice since they opened. He mentioned that he liked the idea of no attachment. It might have been funny, but he didn't really want the two girls tearing through his brand new bar and brothel tearing the place to shreds while terrorizing the foxes and customers.

OooOOooOO

Hyuuga Hiashi was alone in his room. He had a small candle lighting his desk and was writing out a few letters before bed. A small tray was beside him, with a small kettle and cup of green tea that was half gone and cooling. His bedroll was spread out behind him and the moon was high in the sky. The door to his room was cracked a little revealing the inky black sky, sparkling stars, and half moon.

The man carefully folded the letter he was writing, placed his seal on it, and set it aside. He finished the last half of his warm tea and stood up. As he reached for the candle on the corner of the desk, a small wind seemed to snuff it out, leaving him sitting in the dark shadows of a room without light. He pulled his hand away and ignored it as he was about to turn in regardless.

He'd taken no more than two steps when he fell to his knees. His hand went up to his mouth and he leaned forward, splattering a few drops of blood onto the ground below his face from between his fingers. His vision blurred and went in and out as he collapsed to his side. The moonlight was the only light he had to see with, and the room was a pale black and bluish white filled with shadows.

One of the shadows from the corner moved, seeming to melt from the larger darkness of the room, stepping over his bedroll as two fuzzy legs strolled out and stood before him. The man managed to roll onto his side, the Byakugan going full force as he felt the rush of his heart pumping blood through his veins at an alarming rate. "Assassin."

The figure squatted down beside him, it's features a blur of black, hollow and without the light of life within it. He saw it move fast and hard at his face and squeezed his eyes shut.

When he opened them again he found himself in the same position, and he wasn't sure how much time had passed. The moon had grown higher in the sky and he could see he was facing the moon. His vision had cleared up and he could see a small hooded boy leaning against the doorway looking up at the sky and ignoring him. He struggled to move and found himself unable, he was paralyzed. His face grew red as he struggled to move his lips to speak.

The figure turned to look at him, the bridge of his nose and the area around his eyes the only part of his face he could see. The dead looking shadow just looked at him, not speaking and seemed peaceful and serene. Hiashi's eyes grew wide as eyes began to open in the shadows around him. Yellow and cold as small lines of chakra began to form out of the darkness. It was blue and seemed to be made of small tendrils of blue flames. There were dozens of them, looking at him, watching him as he lie helpless on the floor of his bedroom.

"Should we curse him? Curse his clan? It's been so long." One of the creatures spoke up.

"Yes, we'll curse his family, destroy them," another agreed. "It's been done before, we'll crush them, ruin them, break them."

"Let us have him, he'll be destroyed."

"Curse him! He intends to kill you. Our King, our Prince, this bounty is a danger to them both."

"His family, it would be nothing for us to destroy them all. Ruin them!"

"Yes, we can destroy them. In a months time, nothing will remain of the Hyuuga Clan."

"Let us take care of it."

"Yes, Highness. No one would ever know it was you. We can destroy them all, leave you blameless."

"What would it matter? Even if they know, what he has done is Treason, he's declared war against us! He's betrayed his own village. He's a murderer."

Hiashi struggled to move, to stand, to run.

The shadowy figure just looked at him, not speaking or moving as it relaxed in his doorway as if it was his own room.

The shadows seemed to look towards the figure in the doorway. "He has declared war upon our kind. He has sent assassins to our king!"

"Yes, we'll kill them all! The Hyuuga should be destroyed!"

"This one at least! Let us have him! The others will learn if we make an example."

The shadow boy in his doorway turned to look up at the moon. He spoke in a quiet even tone. "That could be bothersome."

"You intend to ignore this?" The creature closest to him seemed confused. "He's tried to kill you, murder your friends."

The boy stood up and turned his back. "He's not succeeded. It might be a bother in the future to kill him now. We'll see what he does. I'm sure he's aware the poison he drank could have been much more lethal."

Hiashi growled and managed to speak. "Uzumaki."

The boy looked over his shoulder. "I know what you have done. I know what you are doing. There's nothing I can do to stop you from trying to kill Ino in the exams. The rules protect you and your clan from the laws of Konoha."

"You won't get away with this." The man muttered.

The boy looked away again. "I only said you are protected from Konohagakure."

The man still couldn't move and struggled to sit up for a moment before giving up and relaxing. "You are a threat to my clan. I had no choice but to act. Do your really think this will go unpunished?"

The shadow closest to the boy chuckled. "You fool. Do you not understand? He is the King of Kitsune, every last one of our kind on this world is his subject."

Another agreed. "Yes. Do you really think the Hokage would risk war with all of our kind over you and your pathetic clan? Do not be a fool. For every shinobi in this village, there are a thousand of our kind. Your clan alone is nothing to us."

The boy looked down at him with a cold glare and didn't speak.

Hiashi looked up at the ceiling. "So, you intend to kill me then? My clan..."

Naruto removed his hood and gave him a dark smirk. "If I had, you would already be dead."

The man growled and went quiet.

The Fox King put his hood back on and looked up at the moon. "I suggest you consider your options carefully, Hiashi. My wife, is not as forgiving as I am."

The creatures in the shadows of his room chuckled and hissed with a dark glee at that statement.

Hiashi managed to shift his head. "Is that some kind of threat?"

Naruto gave a nod. "Yes. That's exactly what it is."

The head of the Hyuuga clan didn't speak and remained frozen on the floor of his room. His head was swimming and his vision becoming blurred again. "I won't forget this, Uzumaki."

The boy's voice spoke up again as the night faded away. "See that you don't, Hiashi."

OooOOooOO

It was still dark when the head of the Hyuuga house opened his eyes again. He gasped as his eyes found a kunai stabbed into the ground beside his face. He sat up and gasped as he staggered to his feet and stared at it. It was one of his own, from the clan armory.

Hiashi's head was swimming as he pulled it out of the ground and staggered to his doorway. He looked around, pale and gasping. The moon was growing close to the horizon in the distance behind his home. "How long?" He muttered and put his hand up to his face. He was covered in a cold sweat and staggered out of his room into his home.

Hinabi's room was closest, he rushed towards it and opened the door. As soon as he walked in, he froze. Another kunai from his own armory, marked with his clan's symbol was resting beside her head on her pillow. His eyes grew cold and hard as he frowned and took it. He took care not to wake her and moved through his home. Hinata had another beside her head resting on her pillow as well.

The man went from room to room, and in each room that contained a sleeping member of the Hyuuga clan there was another kunai resting beside their head. Sitting on the pillow next to the undisturbed slumber of the resident right next to their head. He growled as he collected them, one by one. By the time he was finished, he was carrying a dozen knives, each found next to the head of a sleeping member of the Main Branch.

He returned to his room and set them out on the floor in a neat row. He sat down in front of them and glared at them all, a deep anger boiling within him. He was ashamed, angry, and something else much more primal. Hiashi was afraid. "What is he?"

The man balled up his fists and growled. He slammed his hands into the ground and groaned in frustration and rage. He simply sat there, gasping for breath glaring at the knives from his own armory. The ones he'd found beside his children, and his family. Hiashi closed his eyes and growled.

OooOOooOO

The Hokage's office, the next day...

"Hyuuga." Tsunade was sitting behind her desk and frowning at the man as he entered. She had her fingers pressed together in front of her face. The head of the Hyuuga clan entered her office and stood before her.

His head was low, and his fists balled up as he walked in to meet her. "Hokage. You asked to see me?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. "I've heard some interesting rumors."

Hiashi just stood there and said nothing.

"Nothing to say?" she cocked her eyebrow.

"I'm not sure what you mean," he replied.

The woman gave a small sigh. "Just rumors. Something about a counter for the Byakugan, and..." She paused for a moment to consider her words. "...things related to that."

The man gave a snort. "Counter?"

Tsunade stood up and leaned over her desk. "Well, I already know about that. Team Seven has the ability to be virtually invisible to the Byakugan, and I suspect the Sharingan as well. Uchiha Sasuke isn't about to say anything, and it's a rather moot point anyway I suppose. Seeing as he's in on it."

The man's back arched slightly, but he didn't respond.

The woman sat back in her chair. "I didn't hear about it from him, but I called him into my office this morning and spoke with him about it."

Hiashi didn't waver, he looked every bit as calm as when he had entered. "Might I ask from who these reports came?"

She smirked at him and gave him a rather devilish glance. "No."

Hiashi tensed again, but did his best to hide it. "Then what do we have to speak about?"

Tsunade sat back. "Uzumaki told me the two of you had a conversation recently. He asked that I only consider the future, not the past."

The man's jaw went tight and cleared his throat. "Did he?"

The Hokage sat back down and seemed to relax. "Yes. I suggest you do the same. Whatever it is that you have done, forget about it."

"I have admitted nothing." The man replied in a diplomatic tone.

"Yes. I know. Don't take that to mean I don't know what's going on here, Hiashi. I'm not a fool." She leaned forward again and there was a little bit of a threat in her tone.

The head of the Hyuuga clan gave a small sigh. "I do not know, Uzumaki. I've never had dealings with him before our...conversation."

Another voice entered the conversation. "I gathered as much. You wouldn't have been so careless if you knew him." The third was standing in the corner of the room reading a scroll with a pipe in his mouth. "You really have no idea what it is you are toying with Hiashi."

The man glanced over at him, not surprised at his presence. "Sarutobi, I trust you are well. Enjoying your retirement?"

The old man chuckled. "Getting rid of Uzumaki and his team won't get rid of this technique. Someone else taught it to him. Someone you don't know, and I think it's best if it remains that way. You would not have destroyed it, even if your plan succeeded. You acted without bothering to discover the true origins of your problem." He put his hand behind his back and set the scroll down. "Rather rash for you. I must admit it was a surprise to me to learn of this. Uzumaki is indeed a genius, but I'm afraid he is not the origin of the technique you seek to destroy."

Hiashi was doing his best to hold back a glare. "Is that so?"

Tsunade nodded. "I'm afraid that is true. Now, pleasantries aside, you should be aware, Hiashi."

Hyuuga turned to look at her, keeping his cool throughout it all. "Aware?"

"There's a contract on Team Seven's head. A contract on Konohagakure Ninja. I believe that it originates from Konohagakure. It's anonymous, but I'm convinced it was you."

The man narrowed his eyes at that. "A strong accusation. A murder charge is a serious offence, and I assure you..."

The woman sat back. "Stop talking and pay attention." She put her hands up in front of her mouth again. "This isn't murder Hiashi. It's treason."

The man arched his back a little again. A small reaction, but both Sarutobi and Tsunade noticed it. "Treason?" He sounded a little confused.

The Hokage frowned at him. "Yes. They are my ANBU. Even then, it would normally be just a murder charge. However, there is the little detail of a contract that puts the entire village at risk."

Hiashi nodded. "I see your concern, but if I might play devil's advocate for a moment. It only relates to the child. Uzumaki would be a great loss, but as long as the child is safe, so is the village."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him and leaned forward. "You sound like you're making a defense. It doesn't matter anyway. As far as I'm concerned, it's treason. A bounty hunter or mercenary won't care about the safety of that child if it means collecting that bounty. It's quite high. Whoever placed it on Naruto's head has put the entire village at risk."

The man gave a slow nod. "I understand."

The woman stood up and walked around her desk. "You're being a much bigger fool than you think. If Naruto hadn't spoken for you, I would have you in chains right now. He asked that I stay my hand to spare the village the trouble of a scandal."

The Hyuuga head turned his eyes away. "I see."

Tsunade put her finger on his cheek and turned his face to look at her. "You'd better, for your sake. You're not just messing with Uzumaki and Konohagakure. You're poking a much bigger hornets nest than you think. The truth of the matter is, I only let it go, because I'm very aware that he doesn't need our protection from the likes of you and your clan."

Hiashi glared at her. "What do you mean?"

Sarutobi spoke up again. "Hiashi, you and I always got on well. You're starting off on the wrong foot with the Fifth, and you look a fool. Had you bothered to learn more before acting, you would never have done something so stupid to that boy."

Tsunade turned away and moved back behind her desk. "He's the King of the Kitsune. You wouldn't be the first family cursed out if existence by their kind. Far more powerful and prominent families than yours have fallen in the wake of their wrath before."

The old man nodded. "Yes. That alone makes what you've done foolish enough. However, there is another matter that only makes it worse, and more dangerous to your clan than a simple counter to an eye jutsu could ever be."

The Clan head glanced at him. "What would that be?"

Sarutobi gave him a somewhat evil looking grin with a sparkle in his eye. "The Kyuubi of course. The contract with Uzumaki protects Konohagakure, but it does not protect individuals, or any specific clan. The wording is very precise. It protects Naruto's friends, the people he cares about, and the village as a whole. If you were to murder him, there's nothing to spare you or your family from her wrath should she discover it. You and your family would be wiped from this world forever, and there would be little Konohagakure could do to stop her."

Hiashi's eyes were twitching a little.

Tsunade spoke up again as she opened a scroll on her desk. "Believe me, they would find out."

The man gave a cordial nod. "I appreciate the warning. I have no intent to take his life, or threaten any of your ANBU."

The Hokage didn't look up from her scroll and started writing. "I hope so for the sake of you and your clan. If that's true then you can forget this conversation ever happened. Just be aware that I'm mindful of it, and will be in the future."

Hiashi nodded. He knew exactly what it meant. The Hyuuga clan was being watched. "I shall remember that."

The woman nodded. "Good. I'd prefer to be able to pretend this conversation never happened. You may go."

The Hyuuga man gave a slight bow. "I shall take my leave then."

As he reached the door Tsunade looked up. "Oh, Hiashi, one more thing. Naruto asked that I relay a message concerning Yamanaka Ino and the exams.

He paused with his hand on the doorknob and turned his head. "Yes?"

"He asked that I tell you 'take your best shot'. I'll be attending the finals, and I look forward to the matches. I do hope Neji and Ayume do not disappoint. We are in need of Chunin." She looked up at him. "I expect your orders to them won't change, as the rules of the exam protect them from charges. I will honor that."

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe and didn't speak up. Hiashi gave a nod and left the room. After the man left, the former Hokage spoke up. "Are you sure that was wise?"

Tsunade looked over at him. "She's an ANBU. If she can't handle two Genin by now, even Hyuuga Genin, then she won't last long."

The old man frowned at that. "I see. Still, provoking such a thing worries me. The Yamanaka clan will not be pleased, and Akamichi and Nara will support them."

Tsunade glanced at him. "If Yamanaka Ino fails these exams, you can have your hat back."

The old man gave a snort. "Not a chance. I know better than to make a bet like that with you. She'll die for sure."

The Fifth growled a little and glared at him with her eyes getting a little bloodshot. She calmed after a moment. "I've heard enough from Yugao, and I was keeping a close eye on the training of that group. My apprentice is with them after all. Yamanaka won't fail, there are things about her the Hyuuga are unaware of. She's got an ace up her sleeve."

The old man narrowed his eyes. "Don't be so sure. Neji has faced Naruto. That boy is a genius as well if you remember. I do not think he has forgotten that battle and I do not expect him to be unprepared. This might be more dangerous than you think. The Hyuuga might be more aware of what they are up against than you think."

Tsunade nodded. "Perhaps, but there are things even Neji doesn't know about that group. Uzumaki faced him as a Genin, and he's grown far stronger since then."

The old man nodded. "Yes. I'm aware of that. Yamanaka Ino is not Uzumaki. Neji will prove a powerful and cunning adversary. I do hope you are right, but I have my reservations about this."

The Fifth looked over at him with a smirk on her face. "I understand, but I also know that Uzumaki has shared more than just his little chakra sealing trick with his team. She's been through ANBU training and performed admirably, far better than anyone expected. She's no fool, even if she is a bit of a loud mouth." She sat back in her chair and put her hands behind her head. "Naruto requested that she become the fourth member of his team. I expected her to fail despite it. I assumed we'd pull her half dead off that mountain if she made it even that far."

The Third gave a small sigh. "I see. Well, I suppose I cannot argue against that. He requested her?"

Tsunade gave a nod. "Yes. I found it odd myself. I believe it had something to do with the time she spent with Sakura after the last exams. Though, I'm not so sure annoying Uchiha didn't have more to do with it."

Sarutobi chuckled at that. "Yes. That does sound like him."

The woman closed her eyes and yawned as she stretched her arms. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure he was going to kill her if I refused."

The old man shook his head. "Now, I doubt that. Still, it does make me feel a little better about this. I'm still not sure it was the wisest move to make. I hope you don't have a great regret waiting to burden your time as Hokage. There will be enough of that for you to deal with. I hope for the best, but you should prepare for the worst."

Tsunade gave a nod as he walked out of the room and left her alone. As harsh as it sounded, she intentionally gave Hiashi permission. She wasn't kidding when she spoke her mind about the weight of the ANBU. They were all very young, but if Ino could not handle a couple of Genin, even one as powerful as Neji, she had little chance of surviving as an ANBU. Even though they were only thirteen, none of them could afford to be children, none of them could be innocent any longer. They had to be strong, their very survival depended on it. Ino had the least experience, and now the time had come for her to prove her worth in her eyes. She had to be forged from steel into a silent blade.

Naruto's team specialized as assassins and spies, and she had every intention of using them for just that once they were prepared. Ino's exam was the last test. Once she returned, as a Chunin or not, the time of training was finished. They would be thrown to the wolves headlong.

Hiashi and the Hyuuga were no the only thing Naruto had spoken of when he had met with her. The boy had been gathering information. Sound had bases within Fire Country, though their locations were not pinned down yet. He believed he was very close to discovering more than one such place. Given what he'd told her and shown her, they were closing in on at least three locations possibly more.

She could guess where he was getting his intelligence. The Kitsune seemed quite willing to serve their king, and that was a very large benefit to Konohagakure. He didn't mention it, and she didn't press him. She knew he wasn't leaving the village to go scouting. She was also aware that the Fox Den, and it's five other sister locations within Fire Country, were more than just a bar and brothel. He was turning out to be a master spy, and had a network of informants that spanned every inhabited land in the world.

He was the ruler of a race with numbers that easily rivaled any country in the world. He was royalty, a dignitary, and an ambassador. Though, she wasn't sure just how aware he was of that. It also worried her on some level. She doubted he would remain as a Konohagakure ninja for the rest of his life. Konoha was his home, and she wanted to keep good relations with him. Both for personal reasons, and diplomatic ones. He was a far more important figure than she believed he'd yet realized.

Naruto would not be able to remain as an active Ninja forever, whether he knew it or not. Sooner or later his wife would show up, and Tsunade had little doubt she would expect him to take his place at her side as her King. Kitsune were odd creatures, promiscuous, free spirited, mischievous, tricksters. They were flighty, had short attention spans, and often shallow dispositions. They were also dangerous, especially in large numbers. They were sometimes malicious, violent, prone to hold grudges, and were creatures of shadow. Their Queen was an absolute monster, dark, angry, malevolent, cold hearted, and evil.

However, there was another side to their kind, and it included Kyuubi. Their loyalty once given was very strong. Kitsune, despite their personalities and fickle dispositions, were devoted to those they loved. If Kyuubi was willing to marry Naruto, he had her heart as impossible as it sounded. Tsunade had reservations about having such a creature in her village despite the contract. However, she was also aware that if he honored his bargain she would be a devoted wife, especially considering he was the mother of her child and aware of what she was.

She had no intention of souring Konohagakure's relationship with the Kitsune. If not for the contract, she never would have allowed so many within the village. If not for Naruto and his son to keep them under control, the situation that had manifested in Konoha would be very dangerous indeed. The entire village was charged with protecting that child, and it would work in their favor in their relationship with the Kitsune.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: Preparing for the exams.


	36. Chapter 36

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 36

The festival of shadows.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting in his office looking Ino up and down with mild surprise. "Huh? What do you mean?" It was early afternoon and she was still a bit dirty from running around the woods and training.

The girl flushed. "I can't train with you. I've got to tutor the two idiots I got stuck with in the Chunin exam. I already promised Yugao sensei I would. We started this morning, and I've got a lot of work to do with them."

The hooded boy gave a small sigh. "Well, I'll talk with her about it. I want to make sure you don't screw up. The Hyuuga are still trying to kill you. I had a little talk with Hiashi. I'm not sure how that panned out yet, but there's no reason to think they've changed their minds yet. I want to make sure you're ready to deal with them both."

The blond kunoichi growled. "Well, I'm still technically Yugao sensei's until the exams are over. So, I can't just dump those two off."

The Jounin looked at her and stood up. "All right. Fine. Look, meet me here in a couple of hours. I'm gonna make other arrangements. Neji is the biggest problem you'll face most likely. He's not an idiot, and he's fought me before. That Ayume chick is going to be after your head too."

Ino growled a little. "I can't believe those jerks. We're in the same village. Killing someone from your own village on purpose? It's murder! The Hokage..."

Naruto put his hands on his desk. "She knows about it. Look, I've already talked with everyone I need too. I'm pretty sure that bounty is taken care of, but..."

The Yamanaka girl blinked. "Huh? But?"

"They're still going to try and take you out in the exams." The boy sat back down and shook his head. "No one is going to stop them or say anything about it either. You'll be on your own, and there's nothing we can do to help you aside from stepping up your training again." He paused for a moment. "Oh. You're not allowed to kill them either."

Ino's eye twitched. "Why do I get the feeling...?"

The boy nodded. "You'd be right. I didn't ask them to back down. You're an ANBU, if you can't handle two genin, Hyuuga or not, you're not going to last long."

Her expression became rather blank. Then she became angry, and finally, her features fell. "I guess I get you. I'm gonna remember this though, you jerk."

Naruto seemed pleased. "Just don't take it personal. I wouldn't have bothered with you to begin with if I wasn't sure you could handle it. I don't expect you to lose, and I'm gonna make sure with what time we've got left until the exams finish." He stood up and walked around the desk towards the door. "I'm gonna go see Yugao. I'm pretty sure I can work something out with her. Don't worry."

The blond girl looked like her mood had been soured a bit, but nodded. "Yeah. I get it."

OooOOooOO

Genji and Ryoji frowned at each other and looked at the younger boy standing in front of them with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"Huh. I guess I've got to get you two losers into shape then?" He was hidden in the shade of the branches of a near by tree out of sight and looking down at them from the shadows.

The long haired brunette boy narrowed his eyes. "Hey. Who the heck are you? Where's Ino?"

His larger dark haired companion nodded. "Right. We're supposed to be meeting up with her. We don't have time..."

The shadowy figure jumped down. Uchiha Sasuke stared them both down and didn't look impressed. "She's gone off to train. Those Hyuuga are trying to kill her after all. I'm taking over and making sure you two are prepared for the finals."

Genji gave a snort. "I'm not so sure Yugao sensei is gonna like that." He didn't seem too worried.

Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "We spoke with her about it. It's not something you should be worried about. You've got your hands full as it is."

Ryoji scratched his head. "You're that Uchiha kid. Huh. She mentioned you. What are you, her boyfriend or something?"

Sasuke gave him a cool stare. "I'm on her team. She's the weakest member, and I've only got a little more than two weeks to whip you two losers into shape."

The brunette tightened the bandages on his wrists. "She's the weakest?"

Ryoji frowned at him and tugged on the handle to his weapon. He looked a bit pensive. "So what do we do?"

Sasuke gave him a smirk. "Well, considering I don't know you. We'll start out by finding out how strong you are." He put up his fists and stepped back. "Come on, attack me."

The smaller of the pair rushed up first and punched out with his fists. He was quickly disposed of after throwing one missed punch. Sasuke planted his knee into his belly, elbowed his back, and back flipped into a kick in his chin that laid him out.

The larger boy swung his mace down and created a three foot crater in the ground. Sasuke was nothing but a bur of motion that appeared behind him with his elbow extended in a rib shot that sent him head first into a tree. The bark cracked, but the boy wasn't out. He turned and swiped with the mace, only to see the Uchiha boy over his swing with his legs tucked up. The last thing he noticed was the bottom of the smaller rave haired boy's foot as his skull hit the tree again.

Their tutor dusted off his hands and gave a snort. "Man. That was pretty pathetic. Well, I guess we'll get started then."

Both of them were staggering to their feet and looking dazed.

Sasuke noticed they had their wits about them after a moment and spoke up again. He glanced over his shoulder towards the gates of Konohagakure. "Take a last look. We won't be going back to the village until you have to leave for the exams."

Ryoji frowned at that. "We don't have any supplies."

The young Chunin shrugged. "You'll live. Come on. Keep up." He hopped into the branches and started jumping away.

The pair moved to follow into the woods.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was leaning back against a tree looking up at the clouds. "This seems like a good spot."

Ino looked around. They were in an open field with a long cliff in the near distance with a small spring and waterfall nearby. "So, what are we doing?"

The boy sat up and looked at her. "We?"

She got a little frustrated. "You're supposed to be training me right?"

The hooded nin chuckled. "Not really. You're going to come up with something on your own."

That caught her off guard. "Huh? Like what?"

Naruto gave a shrug. "I dunno. Use what you've learned to come up with something of your own."

The blond girl glared at him. "Just come up with something? What kind of training is that?"

Her 'teacher' put his hands on the grass behind his rear and seemed pleased. "The best kind. How do you think new techniques are developed? Someone had to think up all that stuff you've been taught you know."

The girl tossed her hair. "I'm not some master you know. What am I supposed to do?"

Naruto shook his head. "I dunno. You should be able to think of something. Look, Sakura thought up a variation on the Rasengan on her own. You've already learned quite a few techniques, you know an advanced form of chakra manipulation, you've had advanced physical training, and you've been trained in suppression, stealth, and tactics. Not to mention your ANBU training. What are you saying, she's smarter than you? You can't think of something on your own like she can? I guess she is better then."

That got the girl riled up. "I...she's not better than me! All right fine! I'll think of something then!" She stomped off in a huff into the field, sat down with her legs and arms crossed and closed her eyes looking annoyed.

Naruto relaxed again. "Maybe I should bring a book next time?" Kakashi always had one with him, and he was starting to see why. He put his hands behind his head and looked up at the clouds as he lay in the shade.

OooOOooOO

It was a peaceful early evening at the Uzumaki home. Naruto had been staying up for the past week. Most of his time with Ino was relaxing, and he caught a nice nap while she was working. Things had been quiet in Konohagakure as the Genin trained for the finals. Sasuke hadn't returned with the two others, and was off in the woods running them into the ground. The foxes had kept him informed of what was going on with them.

Sasuke had taught them to make clones and was running them into the ground on a daily basis, beating them both up, and forcing them to read Naruto's book. He wasn't training them in stealth or suppression, but was focusing on sharpening their talents. It was going well, and the two unfortunate, or fortunate depending on the point of view, Genin were learning what muscle failure was in a rather intimate fashion.

His son was sleeping in a crib nearby, with his three live in Kitsune out of sight and quiet. It was unusual, but they hadn't bothered him in a week in the evenings. While he didn't mind it when they did, it was kind of nice to have a little break. A knock at the door pulled him away from a half finished bowl of instant ramen.

Ken and Ryu were standing outside Naruto's door looking pleased. The boy scratched his head and smiled at them as he opened it and greeted them. "Hey. What's up? What are you two doing here?"

Ken blinked in what looked like surprise. "Huh? We're here to watch Kitsuma for you."

Ryu seemed pleased and nodded. "Yeah."

The boy's face fell. "Huh? Watch him?" He turned and jolted. Masara, Koruma, and Kira were all right behind him dressed in their yukata with grins on their faces. "I don't need anyone to..."

Kira's grin got a little wider. "Yeah you do."

The boy narrowed his eyes at the trio. "Why? What are you three up too?"

Masara crossed her arms and smirked. "You've forgotten?"

Koruma agreed and looked much the same. "Yeah. We told you already."

The young Jounin hung his head and sighed. "So I have. Remind me."

Koruma grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. "It's a very important night."

The green haired Kitsune grabbed his arm. "Yeah. It's your duty to come along!"

The violet haired Kitsune giggled. "Yeah. I've got a title to defend!"

Naruto pulled himself free. "Hold on. I can't just run off. I've got to help Ino train. I promised."

Ken slapped him on the back. "We'll take care of it until you get back."

Ryu crossed his arms and nodded. "No problem. Don't worry. She's in good hands."

The boy got wide eyed. "What? Where are we going? Just tell me!" He looked at the trio of 'girls'.

The redhead shrugged and smiled at him. "It's time for the festival."

"Yeah, the full moon is tonight!" agreed the green haired girl.

Kira pulled on his hand. "I expect you to be a fair judge! No favoritism!"

The boy furrowed his brown. "Judge? Judge what?" He went rigid and became very white as something clicked into place.

Masara chuckled and tossed her green shoulder length hair. "Yeah. Those clones sure will help with that."

Koruma agreed. "Right. The Boss is the perfect judge!"

Naruto was dragged off leaving two lines in the dirt as the trio pulled him towards the gates.

Both the adult ninja looked on with their chests puffed out in pride.

Ken gave a sigh. "They grow up so fast."

Ryu nodded. "I'm proud of him as well. He's been a wonderful student."

OooOOooOO

Naruto found himself standing in front of a large gnarled looking tree. The roots opened up to an almost door sized opening that lead under it between the roots. "Hey, what is this? Where the heck are we going anyway?" He was annoyed, but seemed to accept that they were going to drag him to wherever.

Masara had a serious look on her face. "This is an entrance."

Koruma nodded in a slow deliberate manner. "Yes. It leads to home."

The boy noticed that all of the Kitsune seemed quite serious, but not unhappy. Kira put her hand above the door. "You must change. Use Henge and become like us. Turn into a fox." A moment later there were three foxes surrounding him. "Don't worry."

Naruto took a step back and looked down at the trio. He glanced around and noticed there were several other foxes moving out of the woods towards the place. Within a minute there were twenty to thirty of them looking on. He gave a small sigh and changed into a fox in a puff of smoke. "All right. Now what?"

The trio cocked their heads. He was still rather large. Naruto looked down at his chest. "What?" His hair was gold and not as light as his human hair. "This works, doesn't it?"

Kira nodded. "Yeah. That's fine. You're pretty big still though."

Masara glanced at her. "I don't think it matters."

Naruto frowned. "I'm not sure if I can make myself any smaller. I tried to look normal, but this is how it came out."

Koruma let his tongue hang out. "He's fine. Come on."

The newly transformed Naruto looked at the tree. "It's an entrance? Looks kind of small though. How are we supposed to fit all of us in this?" The space under the tree wasn't very large at all, he didn't think even the four of them could fit.

Kira cocked her head. "No, Boss. This is just the doorway."

The nin was confused. "To where?"

Masara looked up at him. "The shadow realm. A full moon here, is a new moon there. It's an important day. Come on, Boss." He hopped up on his hind legs and put his paw on the center of the top of the doorway.

Naruto looked on with wide eyes as a swirling dark energy formed inside the small cavern under the tree. "Whoa!"

Masara moved into it first, followed by Koruma. Kira nudged at his side with her nose. "Go on, Boss. You've got nothing to be afraid of."

The golden haired fox swallowed and looked down at her with wide eyes as his ears went back. "Are you sure? I mean, I've never been anyplace like that." He lifted his paw and pointed at the energy.

Kira wagged her tails. "Yeah. You'll be fine. I promise."

Naruto felt the hackles between his shoulders rise as he crouched low and moved into the energy with his eyes closed. When he opened them again, he gasped.

It was a rather forbidding place, a dark forest with stars in the sky above and no moon. He could see a great lake between the trees in the distance. His eyes adjusted well, and he could see Masara and Koruma nearby. Kira appeared at his side. Beyond the woods were large black mountains with sharp looking peaks.

There were hundreds of Kitsune appearing from similar swirls of dark energy from other trees. Their fur was various colors, white, brown, black, orange, gray. Many were chatting together, and all of them seemed to be in a good mood. That helped his nerves a bit. He sat up and looked about as they moved towards the lake through the trees.

He trotted forward with Masara and Koruma. "Hey. What is this place?"

The redhead seemed quite serious as she looked up at him. "This is your kingdom, Boss."

The large fox blinked. "Huh?"

Kira sat down at his side. "You are the husband of our Queen. This place is our realm and is ruled by what you know as Kyuubi. Welcome to our home, and your land."

Naruto swallowed. "I uh...right."

Naruto noticed that many of the foxes were looking towards him as they moved by. Some with wide eyes, and others sulking in the shadows as if they hoped to not be noticed. None of them approached. "Hey, are you sure this disguise is all right?"

Masara blinked. "What disguise?"

The golden fox looked a little nervous. "I need to look like this right? I mean, I should be a fox while I'm here and all?"

Kira giggled. "Well, no. You just needed to do that to get through the doorway. You're fine, you can look like what you want. It'll be easier to get there if you stay like that."

"He should stay like that for a while." The group turned and blinked. A white fox approached. She was a little larger than the others, and had a very large bushy tail. "It'll be good for him, and the others will want to see him like that."

Naruto blinked and cocked his head at her. "Oh. Hello. I'm..."

The new female nodded. "I know. I was sent to help guide you. I am Tomamo." Her tail wagged behind her and her tongue hung out as she relaxed and sat down in front of the group. "Don't worry. We'll all become human when the party starts. There's Tofu, Abuurage, Azuki Meshi, Sake..." She seemed quite pleased to be recounting it to him. "It's easier to get drunk and eat with hands, and dancing is more fun."

The large gold fox cocked his head. "Got any Ramen?"

Tomamo blinked in surprise and chuckled. "Afraid not. Maybe next time we'll get a bit. You'll live." She noticed his face fell a little.

The young nin stood up. "I can't really get drunk. I'm not old enough."

The white fox laughed with Masara, Koruma, and Kira.

This annoyed the boy and he frowned at them. "What? It's not funny."

The white fox spoke up again. "There are no rules like that here. You'll be fine." She turned and started trotting away. "Come on. It's supposed to start soon, and we'll be late."

Naruto found himself walking through the woods with the group. They were cheerful and seemed excited, and it helped his mood quite a bit. His fear was gone, but he was still a little nervous. He'd seen several white foxes moving by, but they looked different than Tomamo. They were shorter, fuzzier, and had shorter snouts and black socks like markings on their paws. She looked more like the foxes he knew, and he'd never seen a white one before.

They neared the shore of the lake after a few moments. He blinked in surprise as he noticed several rafts. The white fox looked back at them. "Hey. Come on. The festival is on the other side of the lake, and it'd take all night to go around." It was a very large lake, with the stars reflected in it. He noticed that there were already groups of foxes making the trip. Most of them remained foxes, but one of them transformed into a human to pilot the rafts across loaded with kitsune with long poles.

When he turned around Tomamo transformed. She had pale skin, and long dark hair that hung down to her rear. Her eyes were a golden color, and her lips were a deep red. She looked about the same age as the other foxes when they transformed, but was wearing a much more expensive looking white kimono with an orchid pattern woven into it. She took the pole and started moving across. He looked back and noticed that most of the other rafts were filled. "What? We're not taking anyone else?"

Tomamo looked at him and giggled behind her sleeve. "Well, you're special after all. You're an honored guest."

The golden fox seemed a bit miffed, but didn't complain. "Well, I don't mind riding with others."

Kira seemed pleased. "Don't worry, Boss. There's plenty of rafts. No one is going to get left behind."

Masara agreed. "Right. It's kind of nice when there's not much of a crowd. It's quite a view."

Naruto nodded and looked up at the sky. "It is pretty." He glanced down at the water and blinked. He was still as large as he was as a human. "Hey. I am pretty big." He blinked and peered at the reflection a bit closer. It was distorted by the movement of the boat, but he could still make out enough to realize his odd coloration. "I thought I could Henge better than that."

Koruma looked up at him. "Hey. You look great. It's no problem."

The nin hung his head a little. "Yeah. Still. I should be able to look like a regular fox no problem. This is weird." He looked back over his shoulder as he realized that there were several tails wagging behind him. "Hey. I was thinking just one. What the heck is this?" There were nine of them.

Tomamo smiled over her shoulder. "To be honest, we're not that surprised."

Kira nodded and sat down beside him looking up. "Yeah. You really look like you should to be honest."

That caught him off guard. "Like I should? What the heck are you talking about? I'm not gonna fool anyone with this kind of Henge."

Masara laid down on his other side. "Nah. You look like the King of Kitsune."

Koruma did the same next to her partner in crime. "He's right. I wasn't surprised at all. You did great, Boss."

That confused Naruto. "It's still weird. I was trying to look like one of you, and I know I can do better."

Tomamo shook her head. "I doubt it. You'll likely always look like that when you transform. Relax, it's how you're supposed to look. Just let it go."

The golden fox hung his head. "Fine. Still, it bothers me. It's like I'm screwing up at the academy again. It's a little annoying. Why the heck wouldn't I be able to do better anyway?"

Kira gave a sigh. "You can't do better than that. We keep telling you, it's exactly how you should look. Just relax. You're fine."

Naruto looked up. On the shore that was growing very near, little balls of blue light formed and converged together in a small clearing that appeared to be lit by firelight. There were thousands of them, and the number was growing fast. "Wow. That's, something."

Tomamo nodded. "It's usually impressive. Not everyone comes every year, but there's always quite a turnout."

Masara seemed pleased. "Yeah. It's a great party. Relax boss, you'll have a great time."

Kira tried to perk him up as well. "Quit sulking would you? You're gonna get laid, drunk, and stuffed. Can you think of a better time?"

Tomamo smiled and scratched behind his ear. His leg thumped involuntarily and she winked at him. "Yeah. I'm looking forward to it."

The golden fox got very wide eyes and his back became very rigid. "Oh man. What am I getting into?" He looked over his shoulder at Tomamo. She was a total babe, and was looking back at him with a somewhat subdued but wicked expression. It was quite clear that she wasn't referring to the parts about getting drunk and well fed in relation to what 'she was looking forward to'. He swallowed and looked at the water again.

Koruma chuckled. "The best party you've ever been to, that's what. On top of that, you're the guest of honor."

OooOOooOO

Naruto found himself in a large clearing, there were several tree stumps of varying size, some acted like tables, other as small stages. There were several bonfires going, each surrounded by hundreds of kitsune. The larger stumps were loaded with large piles of food, huge barrels of sake were stacked all over, and both human and animal looking kitsune were dancing and jumping about. The air was filled with laughter and music as the party began. The foxes played shamisen, biwa, koto, flutes, pipes, and drums.

He found himself with a large mug of warm sake set in front of him. Kira had taken human form and set a pair down in front of himself and Tomamo. Masara and Koruma were on either side of them with mugs of their own, eating Abuurage and Azuki Meshi. He was still a fox and was just looking on in amazement. Though he did have a pleased look on his muzzle.

Seeming to realize most everyone had taken human form he broke his jutsu and sipped on his mug. It burned his throat and chest a little, but not in a bad way. He picked at the food as well, it wasn't ramen, but it wasn't bad either. It was quite good in fact, and he didn't think he'd have any trouble filling himself up.

Some of the foxes looked like human males, but for every one male, there were three females. All of them attractive and youthful.

A mug and a half of sake later, and he was leaning on Kira and talking with a drunken slur to the trio with him. Tomamo was pleasant and cheerful. The group was enjoying his company.

The new fox girl took the opportunity to get him to dance, and it went rather well until he threw up after being swung around a bit too much. They switched partners and mingled with the crowd. Quite a few others had gotten sick as well, and it was taken with good cheer. They just dug a hole, put it in, covered it with a good bit of dirt, and kept going.

He ended up sitting next to Kira and Tomamo again, but in a much larger group. They were telling stories, and he related a few of his own. Mostly having to do with his friends, pranks he'd played, and a few of the lighter missions he'd taken as a genin. The kitsune conversed and welcomed him in a way he'd never experienced before.

He ended up leaning on Kira again and hanging over her shoulder after he finished the other half of his mug. They'd poured him another, but he ignored it. He was quite loaded. Tomamo shifted him over to lean on her and he draped his arm across her shoulders as they laughed and enjoyed conversation with each other and the others around them.

His hand moved down her chest and he blinked and turned his head. He'd been that way for almost a half hour, and had just realized that she was naked. Not that it mattered much, half the kitsune were at least partially nude by that point. Several were dancing on tables, and the party was still in full swing. He sat upright and moved his hand. "Oh, sorry."

She looked over at him and smirked as she put his hand back. "I don't mind." With that, she moved on top of him and kissed him.

Before long, he realized that there were more than just two hands involved, and that he was pinned down and having his clothes taken off. As he looked around, he seemed to realize that it wasn't just him. Everyone was starting to get into the activity.

Thus, Naruto took part in his first of several orgies. His ability to make clones came in handy.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting up on a tree stump the next evening with another mug of sake in his grip. The party had lasted through the next day. The sun wasn't very bright in Shadow realm, and the land was covered in forest as far as the eye could see. Very little light made it to the ground with the exception of small clearings like the one the festival was taking place in. It was dark again, but it had never gotten brighter than a cloudy day in his own realm. The sky was constantly overcast, but cleared up in the evening so the stars could shine down on them.

It was growing late, but there were still several hours to go in the day. He'd gotten hung over and had a few more drinks to stave it off, passed out, and woken up and the party was still going. He looked quite ragged, was completely nude, and wasn't sure where his clothes were anymore. His face was painted with lines on his forehead and cheeks, and he had several hickeys at various points on his body.

Kira had won the right to keep her trophy again that afternoon. Fortunately for him, there was some rather stiff competition, and several of the Kitsune posing as human males had helped out with the judging. Tomamo hadn't competed, but he knew that she would have beaten Kira if she had from personal experience.

The violet haired kitsune was passed out in a ball at his feet, and wasn't in human form. He looked a bit bleary eyed and took another gulp from his mug. His spirits were high still, and he looked up at the sky. "This is quite a party. I'm glad I got to come."

Masara chuckled. "Yes. Quite a bit in fact."

He glanced at the kitsune and frowned. "Har. Har."

Koruma was chuckling. "Hey. It was funny. Sorry, Boss."

Tomamo gave a small sigh and shook her head. "Yes. It was. The festivities end in the morning."

Naruto took another gulp. "Yeah. It's a shame. I've never been to a party like this before."

Kira lifted her head and yawned. "No human has. You get to come back whenever we have it again. We look forward to it, and most of us come whenever we can."

The redhead beside him nodded. "Yeah. We'll be going back tomorrow morning."

The boy nodded and gave a half grin. "Yeah. I'm looking forward to seeing Kitsuma again. I've got to check up on Ino as well, make sure her training is going well. She's got to pass the finals in the Chunin exam."

Tomamo looked interested. "Ino? A human girl?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. She's on my team."

The black haired fox girl nodded. "You have a girl you like back home?"

Naruto seemed surprised and thought about it. "Well, not really. I had a crush on a girl when I was younger, but I kind of got over it."

Kira chuckled. "That Sakura girl?"

He frowned at her, but his features softened and he nodded. "Yeah. Her. She likes someone else, and to be honest, I've got other concerns. I'm married for one. No point in starting up a relationship like that. I don't want to string some girl along, and humans are different about that sort of thing than Kitsune. They don't like sharing."

The black haired fox girl nodded. "I see. That's interesting. Selfish then?"

Naruto looked at her. "Well, I wouldn't put it like that. Humans are kind of expected to pick one mate and stick with them. Doesn't always work out that way, but it's just sort of how they do it."

Koruma nodded. "That's why we had so much trouble with him. He had to be trained out of it."

Kira giggled. "Wasn't too hard."

Naruto flushed and looked away. "Well, I wasn't exactly attached either."

Tomamo nodded. "Well, things are winding down. You'll be heading home soon."

The boy looked at her. "Thanks for showing me around and helping me out. I was a bit nervous to be honest. You've been really nice. I'm glad to have met you. Will I see you again anytime soon?"

The kitsune smiled at him and giggled behind her hand as she rubbed on the back of his head. "I'm sure of it."

He smiled at her. "That's good. I like you."

She stood up and moved behind him. "Do me a favor and use that henge again. Don't worry, just look like you did before." He looked on in confusion as she put her hands on his shoulders and looked out over the crowd.

The other kitsune all turned to face the group and the boy realized she had their attention. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He took a moment because he was still a bit drunk. Not as hammered as he had been, but enough to make the seal take a bit of effort.

He felt something land on his head that weighed it down a little. It wasn't a massive weight and felt a bit like a forehead protector. "Huh?"

"I crown you king of Shadow Realm, Ruler of Kitsune, and Lord of Darkness."

Naruto froze and got wide eyed. He looked around and realized that there was no one around him. Only long white tails waving about. Very large white tails, nine of them. "What the?" He dropped his mug and it spilled on the ground. He'd not noticed before, but where he'd been sitting with his three companions and Tomamo was a bit higher up than the rest of the party, and overlooked the whole of it.

All of the kitsune were bowing low before him.

He looked back and found a fox's head with a muzzle as large as he was move up on his right side. The eyes were different than he'd ever seen them before. There was something in them he didn't recognize. They were peaceful, the lips weren't snarling, and the massive cheek rubbed against his side. "I am pleased you enjoyed my company. I look forward to seeing you again as well, my husband."

His eyes rolled up and he slumped to the ground out cold.

OooOOooOO

"Hey, Highness is awake!"

Naruto snapped upright and pushed himself back with wide eyes as he gasped. "What? How? Who?"

Masara, Koruma, and Kira were all looking at him in human form with grins on their faces.

"That went great!" Kira gushed.

The boy put his hand up to his forehead. There was nothing there but a forehead protector. He was dressed in his clothes. "Huh? Some kind of dream?" He was confused as he looked around.

Koruma blinked. "Dream?"

Masara shook her head. "No. Highness, um, that really happened. We're back now though, you passed out and we had to carry you back when the festival ended. You didn't miss much. Things were winding down anyway."

The boy looked at him with wide eyes. "Tomamo?"

Kira grinned. "Yeah. You call her Kyuubi, but her name is Tomamo."

The redhead bounced in excitement. "That was great, Highness! She was so pleased! I'm glad you got along so well!"

The green haired kitsune nodded. "Yes. You've really impressed her. She told us she was looking forward to seeing you again. She still isn't strong enough to come to this realm yet. She was very happy you were thinking about the Prince, that you thought of the other Kitsune at the docks, and she was especially pleased when you used those five clones at once to..."

The boy stood up and held his forehead. "Yeah. I get it." He was very wide eyed and staggered a bit. His head was aching, but it wasn't too bad. His legs were still a bit out of it as well and he ended up leaning against a tree. Tomamo was the nine tailed fox, and he never had a clue. "That...that was my wife?"

Kira nodded. "Sure was Highness."

The boy seemed to think on it for a moment. "R-really? I mean, that was...the Kyuubi?"

Masara shrugged. "Yeah. Pretty much."

Naruto leaned against Koruma as the kitsune helped him stand straight. She was hot. Really hot. A mega babe. He was a bit disturbed by it. The fact that she was an evil demon made it even worse. Evil was sexy, it wasn't something that he'd ever considered before. "That was...my wife?" He was still very confused. The look she'd given him was startling as well. He remembered her eyes from before, but they were very different there. Not kind, but not angry or resentful, welcoming and inviting in an odd way.

Koruma gave a sigh. "Yeah, that was your wife, Highness."

Naruto gave a nod. "Right."

Kira gave a small sigh. "Well, another year, another festival. It just ended, and I already can't wait until next year!"

The boy nodded and staggered towards Konohagakure between Masara and Koruma. After that, so was he. "I'm an awful mess."

The green haired girl chuckled. "Yeah. We're a bit hung over too, we're just more used to it. You'll be all right after a good nights sleep and a pot of black decaf."

The redhead agreed. "Right. I always feel off for a day or two after, but it's always worth it."

Kira was looking quite bright and sunny. "Don't worry, Highness. You'll be fine, and the memories last a lifetime. Well, the parts you were sober enough to remember anyway."

The boy nodded. He remembered most of it. "What's with this Highness stuff? What happened to 'Boss'?"

The trio all looked at him.

Koruma spoke up and looked at Masara. "Do you think he was too drunk to remember?"

The green haired girl shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe the third or fourth orgy. He wasn't that bad off by then though. Didn't seem it anyway."

Naruto looked between them. "Remember what?"

Kira giggled. "You were crowned King, remember? So, now you're Highness."

The boy was stable enough to move on his own legs and shuffled ahead of them. "I thought you said I was king before?"

Koruma nodded. "You were, but it was sort of unoffical."

Masara shook his shoulder. "Yeah. Now you've been officially crowned. Isn't it great?"

The young Shinobi bent over some nearby bushes and threw up. He stood up and wiped his chin with his sleeve. "I'm going home to pass out. I'll think about that later, ask me then." He shuffled back towards the village.

His three companions seemed amused at that, but followed behind him.

OooOOooOO

Tsunade smirked as Naruto stood in front of her desk. He had his arms behind his back and looked very attentive. "Welcome back."

"Thank you, Ma'am." He seemed quite serious, but was still a little bleary eyed. He'd returned the day before and taken a day of recovery.

The woman chuckled at his appearance. "Well, did you enjoy your trip?"

The boy cocked his head a little. "It was...very interesting."

Tsunade nodded. "I imagine so. I'm to understand it was some sort of festival. No human has ever attended."

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, it was quite a party."

The Fifth chuckled at that. "Was it now? What was it like? You're the first of our kind to see something like that."

The boy flushed. "Well, I met my wife."

Tsuande arched her eyebrow. "Did you now? It went well?"

The Jounin nodded. "I guess so. We got along well, and she crowned me King."

The Hokage's face fell a little. "Did she now?"

That caught Naruto off guard. "Is something wrong?"

"You've just become a dignitary." The woman sat back in her seat and folded her hands in front of her face. "You're an important link and an ambassador."

The boy nodded and looked uncomfortable. "I suppose so."

"I can't use you as an ANBU."

He froze and looked at her with wide eyes. "What?"

She leaned forward and looked quite serious. "Naruto, you're a King. Not a ninja. Trained well, but...you're too important to risk. Especially considering our past history with the Kitsune, and their relations with us now."

He was shocked. "But...What? What about my team? What? I can't just stop now. I've..."

She shook her head. "You've got more important concerns. I don't intend to cut you out of the loop, but you need to understand that I can't use you. Not as an ANBU, not as a field man. You're too important, it's beneath your station."

He glared at her. "I've trained. I can handle it. What about my team?"

She closed her eyes. "They will remain your team. I've no intention of cutting you off. I understand how important..."

"I'm going after Orochimaru." He growled it. "I can't ignore it. Itachi as well. They're a threat to me and Konoha."

She smiled from behind her hands. "I see. I understand your concern. However, sending you out after them directly is not an option. As I said, I'm not taking away your team. They are still ANBU."

He seemed to calm. "What do you mean?"

She leaned back in her chair again. "Naruto. You don't seem to realize your position. I serve Fire Country, and I don't answer to you. However, for all intents and purposes, you outrank me. I am Hokage, and you...rule a force as powerful as a Nation. Though your country has no borders, you are the Kitsune's Daimyo."

The boy took a step back as he went rather pale. "I...I..." He hung his head and looked at the ground.

The Fifth sat forward again. "I also know you are loyal to Konoha. I am hopeful that our relations can go well. You are welcome here, and you're not losing your rank. For all intents and purposes, you are an ANBU Captain. I just can't use you as one."

He didn't look pleased, but was still calm. "Why not? I'm willing, and able."

She shook her head. "What would the Kitsune think if I sent their King off to die in a mission. Over nothing more than a contract? A business deal?" She stood up and leaned over her desk on her palms. "Your son will always be safe here, he will be protected. However, I'd rather he had his father to keep him safe."

The boy looked up at her with his fist shaking. "I..see."

She sat back down and sighed. "You want Orochimaru and Itachi. I understand that. I'll not be giving you orders, and you won't be receiving missions. I might ask you to perform a light duty here and there, but...you will not be receiving any S or A class missions from me."

"What about Team Seven?" He calmed and his voice was shaking. "They worked hard for this."

"Their mission is you. I'm giving them to you, on a limited scale. They can't work against our interests, they are Konohagakure Ninja. However, you will not be able to deal with your enemies alone. The Kitsune are powerful, but against a Kage level ninja, such as Orochimaru, or Itachi, they will be of limited use." She looked him in the eyes. "Consider it a treaty between Konohagakure and the Kitsune. I'd like you and your subjects to remain our allies. I'm aware of what this village owes them. The Third seems to think that many lives, including his own, were saved with their assistance."

The young King nodded. "This is my home."

The Hokage bowed her head. "I am very pleased that you think of Konohagakure that way." She stood up and motioned with her hand. "Come with me."

He nodded and found himself walking down a hall with her. She spoke as they walked. "Sasuke has been helping with training Ino's two teammates from the exams. I admit I'm a bit surprised with her attitude. She may end up facing them, and it might work against her interests. I am to understand they are doing well."

The young hooded ninja looked at her. "Yes. They're much stronger. I hope they pass, but I know enough to realize they won't stand much of a chance against her."

She gave him a sidelong glance. "Been keeping an eye on that as well have we? I suspected as much. Do you know how Ino has been progressing?"

He nodded. "She's doing well. Ken and Ryu said one of them would help her out. I've heard she's made good use of her time. I don't expect her to fail."

The Fifth nodded. "I see. The contract on your head?"

Naruto glanced at her. "Gone. I've heard about that as well. Hiashi seems to have backed off, but Neji and Ayume are both still training hard. It does not appear their orders have changed."

The woman seemed to think on that for a moment. "Well, that's good to hear. I received word yesterday that the bounty had been lifted. What of Orochimaru and Sound?"

The boy growled a little at the subject. "The snake is difficult to track. I know the location of three bases within Fire Country, and at least two more that I know of but haven't pinpointed yet."

She sighed and put her hands behind her back. "We should eliminate them."

"I can't stop you, but..." The boy glanced at her. "I'd rather wait until we've located them all and strike all of them at once if possible. We've got a better chance of finding more useful intelligence if they don't know we're coming, and we may manage to catch Orochimaru himself with his guard down."

She frowned and shook her head. "I doubt that. If he's present at one of these places, I expect we will lose a team before we capture or kill him."

The Jounin seemed to think on it. "I'm more interested in taking out the bases and gathering intelligence than finding him right now. I'd like to more know about Sound, and find out what I can about it's operations and locations in Rice Country. I also want to get them out of Fire Country. Capturing or killing him would be nice, but it's not my goal yet. I don't know him well enough and I need to learn more before I start focusing my efforts on him."

The Hokage paused. "Do you begin to see your value, Uzumaki?"

He looked up at her and seemed confused. "Pardon?"

She gave him a wry looking smirk. "Do you think I don't know where you're getting all this information? I'm sure you've learned from several sources, but the bulk of your intelligence is not supplied by you, your team, or anyone in Konohagakure directly. Do you really think I don't understand the true purpose of your little bar?"

Naruto knew that she was smart enough to figure it out and wasn't surprised that she was aware. "I assumed you were smart enough to figure it out, yes." He also realized while she was walking with him and was pretty much beside him, she was also hanging back just a bit and was moving slightly behind him to his right.

If he was the Daimyo of Fire Country she would be back a bit further, but she was acting as if he was a visiting dignitary and it was a show of respect for his position. It was also a little annoying, but he didn't speak up. "I get your point."

She smiled at him. "Very good. Come, there's someone I would like you to meet."

OooOOooOO

A few moments later they were standing outside the door of a large suite for visiting dignitaries. Tsunade turned and put her hand on his shoulder. "Do not kneel and bow no lower than your chest. Refer to him by his title without honorifics. Remember, you are not to show submission, you are not a subject. You are a King, and you must learn to act like one." She dusted off his shoulders and took off his forehead protector. "You should not wear this any longer. You have earned it, and I shall return it, but it is just a keepsake now. I do not expect to see you wearing it in the future."

"What's going on? Who?" The woman put her finger over his lips and opened the door. Inside was another set of doors with two armed guards on either side of it. Each of them was holding a spear and dressed as a soldier in fancy uniforms.

They passed with no resistance. Inside the rather lavish room a tall thin man was sitting at a small table with tea set out before him. He had a black hood that didn't hide his face and a fan with flames on it in his right hand. Tsuande bowed to her waist. "Daimyo sama. May I present Uzumaki Naruto, King of Kitsune, and ruler of the Realm of Shadows."

The boy arched his eyebrow at that and removed his hood as he walked into the room. "Hello. A pleasure."

He bowed his chest a little and the man returned the gesture. "Ah. I see." He smiled in a cordial manner. "It is an honor to meet you."

Tsunade bowed again. "Well, I have duties to see too. I shall leave you two." She turned and left the room.

The boy nodded. "Yes. I am also honored." He had to fight back the urge to bow deeply.

The man offered a seat next to him and poured tea as he joined the boy. "I am to understand we owe you and your people a great deal. I recently spoke to the former Third speaks highly of you."

Naruto accepted the tea. "I've always respected him. He's a great man." He glanced over his shoulder towards where Tsunade had gone. He seemed to realize that someone had mentioned what had happened at the festival to her, probably one of the Kitsune. The situation was a little to convenient for her to have just found out about it. She was putting him on the spot and he imagined, rightly so, that she was having a good chuckle over it.

The Daimyo seemed pleased. "Yes. He was a credit to his position."

The thin man was not extremely old, but his face was wrinkled and thin. He seemed frail, but stern. "I hope our people will continue to foster our relationship."

The boy sipped at his tea. "Yes. I'm much easier to get along with than my wife it seems."

The man faltered a little. "Wife?"

The young blond nodded. "Yes. You call her Kyuubi, the Nine Tails."

The man was looking at him with rather wide eyes. He looked a bit pale. Naruto looked at him. "Are you all right?"

The Daimyo shifted in his seat and seemed to realize what he looked like. "I'm fine. Perhaps my tea is a bit cold." He set it down and poured more into his cup. "What is it you want with Konohagakure?"

The boy shrugged. "I was born here. I've lived in Konoha my whole life. I'm hoping we can get along well. I can be very useful to Fire Country."

The man nodded and seemed intrigued. "Yes. There are those who might worry."

Naruto sipped at his tea and blinked. "Worry? About what?"

The Daimyo looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. "With something like the...Biiju, a man could become quite powerful. Ambition can be dangerous. I admit, my position can be quite attractive."

The boy nodded. "You're worried I might be interested in conquering Fire Country?" He chuckled a little at that and shook his head. He wasn't familiar with the term Biiju, but assumed he was referring to Tomamo.

The man didn't seem amused or offended. "Might you be?"

The young King shook his head. "What for? We're talking about kitsune. They don't need villages or cities. They live in the wild. What would they do with the place once they had it?"

That seemed to calm the man. "What is it you want?"

Naruto shrugged. "Nothing really. I like Konoha, and I've lived in Fire Country all my life. I can be pretty useful if I like you."

The man sat back and put the tips of his fingers together. "And if you do not?"

The boy shrugged again. "I dunno. I'm not worried or anything, seems I've got my own realm and all." He looked a bit spaced out for a moment.

A new voice spoke up from his side. Both humans looked down to see Masara bowing his head low and speaking to the Daimyo. "If we leave, and you start getting overrun with rats and other pests that we hunt for food, you'll be in quite a position. It would disturb the natural balance. A much larger problem than you might think." He was in his fox form and right beside Naruto's feet. The boy was glad that he'd shown up and rescued him from floundering about in the dark. He had no idea what to do and was doing his best to wing it.

The Daimyo put his fan up over his face. "Oh my. A friend of yours?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. This is Masara. He's a good friend of mine."

The animal kept his head low and turned towards Naruto. "Highness is too kind." He put his paws on the arm of the chair the boy was sitting in and spoke into his ear.

Naruto seemed to think for a moment and nodded. "Hey. Since we're starting relations and all, and I've already done a lot to help you out. I could use a small favor. The Kitsune defended Konoha against an attack by Sound and Sand. I'm hopeful we can be useful to each other in the future. However, I want something in return. A small show of friendship between us." Masara had mentioned to make it sound like a small thing. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed to have the desired effect.

The old man narrowed his eyes. "What might that be?"

The boy leaned towards him. "The fur trade. If we're allies of Fire Country, then it should be against the law to hunt foxes."

The man sat back and put his fan up again. "That could prove difficult."

The boy smirked. "Difficult? For you? You wouldn't hunt your other allies for their skins would you?"

The Daimyo glanced away. "I see. I shall see what I can do."

Naruto nodded. "The more useful you are, the more useful I can be. We don't need much, make Fire Country a safe place for the kitsune, and I can help make it much safer for you."

Masara lowered his head and spoke to the old man again. "He speaks the truth. Highness is the crowned King of Kitsune. Every fox on this world is his subject, not just those in Fire Country." The animal looked up at him. "...and all of us have better eyes, and ears than any human. Each of us is blessed with a mouth as well, if you catch my meaning."

The old man hid his face with his fan again and narrowed his eyes. "Yes. I do."

The door opened again. Hyuuga Hiashi walked in and bowed. "Ah, Daimyo sama. I had just heard of your arrival." He froze as his eyes found Naruto. "Uzumaki."

The young boy nodded. "Hyuuga. I trust you are well?" He had a smirk on his face and put his hand between Masara's ears to scratch his head. The animal thumped his tail on the floor a few times in response. He wasn't a pet, but knew the boy was doing it to call Hiashi's attention to him and jog his memory about recent events. Even though it wasn't something he needed to do. They both knew the man remembered quite well.

The head of the Hyuuga clan did not miss a beat. "I apologize if I interrupted. Your attendants mentioned that you were with someone."

The Daimyo nodded and seemed pleased. "No. I was just meeting the young Kitsune King for the first time. I do hope our future meetings go as well."

Hiashi glanced at Naruto. "King?"

The boy nodded his head with his hands behind his back as a knowing smirk leveled at the man. "Yes. I've met Hiashi before. Quite an interesting man."

The Daimyo seemed pleased. "Oh. Well then. I am hopeful that relations between our two peoples can remain friendly. It seems to our mutual advantage. I do hope we can become strong allies. The world is a cold and dangerous place."

The boy nodded. "Yes. It can be." He glanced at the Hyuuga clan's head. "It's nice seeing you again."

The man glared at him. "Uzumaki. I was not aware that you were..."

Masara looked up at him. "We told you he was. Did you not believe us?"

Naruto looked down at him. "Behave." He looked at Hiashi and bowed his head. "I do hope our future relations are pleasant."

The man lowered his eyes and nodded. "As do I." His fist balled up.

The Daimyo hid his face behind his fan again. "Is there a problem? I suspect that there is history here."

Naruto smiled at him. "No. I've got no problems with the Hyuuga clan. I was born in Konohagakure, and it is my home. I hope that the village remains strong, and that all it's clans do well."

Masara glared at Hiashi, but trotted up to Naruto's side.

The blond boy looked around. "This place is a bit stuffy isn't it?"

The Daimyo seemed pleased with the implied suggestion. "I suppose I could stretch my legs out a little."

The young Jounin smiled at him. "Fancy a drink? I know a great place where we can relax. There's a really great massage parlor there too."

The Daimyo arched his eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind that. I'm afraid my personal masseuse does not travel with me." It was obvious he was aware of the other implication of 'massage parlor'.

The pair walked towards the door. "It's a great place, very pretty girls."

The old man nodded. "I wasn't aware Konohagakure had such a place."

The young King nodded. "Just opened up this month. Bring your friends along. It's on the house."

The Daimyo seemed quite pleased. "Really now. Hiashi? Will you be joining us?"

The white eyed man bowed his head. "Sadly, I have other business. I only came to greet you. If you need anything, feel free to ask the Hyuuga clan. We are at your service as always."

"Speaking of service, this place is top notch..." Naruto chuckled as he led the way. The Daimyo's two door guards moved after them as they moved down the hall and into the village.

Hiashi frowned and turned to leave after them and turned away along a different path.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was quite pleased with himself as he sat behind his desk with his hands behind his head. The Daimyo had left to return to the capitol drunk and happy. The 'girls' had taken very good care of him. The man had opened up like a book and had a wonderful time once he'd arrived.

He'd gotten along well with the old man. He wasn't the best of people, but he couldn't see any problem in getting along with him. He seemed easy to please, and was now on very good terms with the boy. Naruto was also aware that he didn't have much leverage. He'd have to prove his value before anything got done in his favor. If he wanted to rid the foxes of hunters in Fire Country, he needed to prove they were useful. His plans already in motion would do well to that end, and he was confident it would work out in his favor. Once he handed over five hidden Sound bases, the old man would be glad to add a new law to the books. After all, Fox fur wasn't all that profitable. It was a nice business that made money, but hardly essential. Most fur traders and hunters trapped or hunted several kinds of animal. Very few, if any relied on one kind of fur. Laws against hunting foxes wouldn't effect many of them much at all.

Most of the Kitsune who fell to such a fate weren't old enough to have more than one tail. Those who survived long enough to grow a second tended to be smart enough, and powerful enough to elude hunters and trappers. It was rare for hunters and trappers to catch a two tailed fox.

Sasuke was sitting in front of his desk with his legs propped up on top of it and he seemed to be resting his eyes.

Ino was sitting beside him. She looked relaxed and was looking the raven haired boy up and down in a lustful manner. "Well, I leave for Kumo in the morning."

Sakura was at home and getting ready to make the trip to Kumo with Tsunade as her apprentice.

Sasuke nodded without opening his eyes. "Good. Those two jerks are about as ready as they're going to be. I pretty much worked them to muscle failure every day and slapped them around. It was pretty boring, they stopped complaining after I punched them a few times for it. They should do all right. No promises on them passing though."

The blond girl frowned. "Yeah. Well, I'm not worried about them anymore. I've got my own matches to worry about."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, well. I expect you'll do well. We'll be rooting for you."

Sasuke grunted. "Speaking of which, we've all got to leave in the morning." He pulled his feet off the desk. "I'm going to get some sleep."

Ino blinked. "Where are you going?"

The Jounin chuckled. "We're going along. The Hokage is attending, and the rest of your team is going along as her guard."

The blond girl seemed surprised. "Really? That's good. You'll cheer for me, right Sasuke?"

He scratched his head from the doorway. "Well, I'm not going to cheer for the Hyuuga to kill you." He left and strolled out into the hall.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We'll all be there. You'd better get some sleep. We'll be traveling all day tomorrow."

The blond girl shrugged. "Sure. I guess I should go too." She stood up and left.

As soon as she left, Naruto made an odd face and sat back. "Ahhh. I suppose I should go home and get some sleep myself." He stood up and shoved his shirt into his pants.

Kira crawled out from under the desk and wiped her sleeve across her mouth. "Sure thing, Highness."

He popped his shoulder and started towards the door with the Kitsune following behind him.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Finals!


	37. Chapter 37

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 37

Naruto's duty.

OooOOooOO

Uzumaki Naruto was a little annoyed. He had a new forehead protector, the metal was black and not shiny, not just a painted normal one. Instead of the Leaf Symbol, he now had three claw marks in the center place that matched up the the scars on his face. "This is annoying."

Tsunade chuckled as she walked beside him. Sasuke and Sakura were both wearing their ANBU masks. They were moving through the mountains of Lightning Country, the gates of Kumo in the near distance. "It's not so bad."

He wasn't with them, and wasn't wearing an ANBU uniform, Masara, Koruma, and Kira were all dressed as Ninja, with forehead protectors matching his own. They were standing around him with bows on their shoulders. "Why am I doing this again? I'd rather no one knew my face." His scarf was gone, Tsunade had relieved him of it, and he was wearing traditional Ninja garb with no hood with the claws symbol marked on his right breast.

The woman shook her head. "Because you're the face of your kingdom."

The boy frowned at her.

Tsunade gave a small sigh. "Do you have a better idea?"

Naruto looked at her and blinked. "Well...I..." He put up his hands and performed a seal. "Henge..."

The Hokage looked impressed as a large gold nine tailed fox appeared before her. "Well, that's impressive."

The boy narrowed his eyes at her. "I guess it is. Still, why are you doing this to me anyway? I'm never going to hire any ninjas."

Sasuke and Sakura were both confused by what was going on. Naruto had been quiet and looked a bit irate since they left Konoha. She'd forced him to change out of his uniform and his three kitsune friends were with him. Protocol in their duties kept them from speaking up about it and they simply looked on.

Gai was behind them with his team, Ino trailed behind him as well with Yugao and her two teammates, Ayume and her two teammates trailed behind a Jounin Naruto didn't know. He was a man with red hair and a fit build with a scowl on his face. Everyone was looking at the pair as they talked, and all of them were confused.

Maito spoke up. "Hokage, I am curious. What is going on? Uzumaki seems upset, and he's acting strangely. A very odd Henge."

The animal surrounded by three girls glanced back at him. "I got fired. I'm not a Konoha ninja anymore."

Sasuke and Sakura both gasped and turned to look at the Hokage. They were flanking her and almost stopped in their tracks.

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Stop being a brat. You're a king. I can't use you to complete contracts. I told you already, you're not fired. You're still an ANBU as far as the village is concerned."

The fox gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah. I get it. I still don't like it."

Masara looked at him. "Don't be like that, Highness."

Koruma nodded in agreement. "She's right. If something happened to you, the Queen would be upset. The Prince would miss you as well."

The King hung his head. "It's not that. I can take care of myself. I don't need to be protected."

Kira giggled a little. "It's part of being a King, Highness."

Lee frowned and arched his mighty eyebrow. Sakura shivered a little at the sight of it. "King?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, he's been crowned King of the Kitsune. They are important allies of Konoha now. He can't hide from everywhere else forever if he's going to be a king." She glanced at the Kitsune trio out of the corner of her eyes. They spoke with her before he left for the festival. He wasn't aware, but they had requested that she help get him used to the idea of being King, and that she help them 'train' him for the role. It put her off a little at first, but it did help that it seemed to irritate him. Konoha did owe them, and they could be very useful as allies.

In the end she'd agreed to help. Part of the deal was him not being sent out on contracts. It was a hard decision, she didn't like giving up one of her best ninja. She also left the condition that he remain a Konoha nin, and would have to train Genin when the time came. She also couldn't stop him from doing what he needed to. He had to be able to act on his own, but still had to remain within the rules for a Konoha ninja. He still represented them in some fashion, especially if he was keeping his team.

Giving him team seven was a compromise on the subject. She couldn't give him missions, but she could give missions to his team. Whether he helped them or not was up to him. The Kitsune were aware of the loophole in the matter. It was Masara who had pointed it out to her, even though she'd already thought about it herself before he had

Any missions given to his team were optional for him to participate in. She had a feeling he would help them out, but it also left Konohagakure's hands clean if something went wrong. She was planning on talking with him about the matter once the exams were over in private. As it was, it was too much fun watching him squirm.

His henge was a bit of a pleasant surprise. Having two identities for himself could prove useful, another matter she was planning on speaking with him about at that point. "You should remain like that. You're right, you are more useful to Konoha if people don't know your face, and it's much more fitting to represent the Kitusne that way I think."

His three guards seemed pleased with that. "She's right, Highness. You don't have to look like a person when you're being our King." Masara smiled at the animal and it looked at him with it's ears back and nodded. "Not that you're not anyway, but..."

Kira blushed. "Yes, he's very handsome that way."

Ino's eyebrow twitched a little. "Handsome?"

"I guess you're right. This could be useful." The animal seemed to perk up a little, but was still clearly annoyed by his position.

Tsunade looked down at the back of the golden fox's head. The Kitsune didn't give any specifics, but she had a feeling that there was more to Naruto's position than the boy was aware. The foxes seemed to imply it, but never said anything about what it was. His henge was unusual looking, and rather flashy. It was not like the boy to do something like that at all. She found herself wondering if his henge's appearance had anything to do with it. The trio of kitsune seemed familiar with it.

She looked at the ninja following her. "I forbid anyone to speak of this. No one must know that Naruto as he appears now is or was a Konohagakure ninja. He is the Fox King, and the Kitsune cannot be too closely tied to Konoha. It is more important than you might think." She found herself wishing it had come up sooner, there were a lot of eyes and ears around them at the moment. Not that she didn't trust them. "The fewer who know about this the better. None of you ever saw this happen, and I suggest you take that very seriously. The Fox King is not Uzumaki Naruto. He cannot be revealed."

The others all looked at her with varying levels of surprise and all of them nodded.

The golden fox was still in a sour mood. His new forehead protector was around his neck like a collar. "I hate politics." He was a little surprised at Tsunade's announcement as well. "After all that pushing to get me to do this you're gonna go and do this now? What's up?" It didn't seem to help his mood much. "Jeez, what am I a superhero? Stupid secret identity and everything..."

She glanced down at him. "I realized the advantages to this little Henge of yours. I'll be giving you another Konoha forehead protector when we return. I suggest wearing it when you are human, and keeping the one around your neck for this form."

The fox nodded. "I guess. Wish you'd brought it up sooner, half the village is standing here. Most of Konoha already knows about it. They announced it to the whole village when they showed up to help during that mess in the last exams."

Koruma blushed a little at that, but didn't speak up.

The woman nodded. "So do I, but there's nothing to be done about it now. I trust them, don't you?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder and gave a small sigh. "Depends on what you mean by 'trust'. Still, I don't think they'll say anything after what you said. I doubt it will remain a secret forever anyway. Too many people know about it."

After a few moments of walking in silence he noticed his three guards glaring and moving to block someone from moving up beside him. "Leave it alone." They all glanced at him and looked a bit irate with the boy who had walked up to them. It was Hyuuga Neji, and he didn't seem worried about annoying his three guards. "You want something, Neji?"

Neji was looking at him with a confused frown. "Uzumaki? What's this about being a king?"

Lee wasn't very far behind and moved up to his teammate's side. "Such arrogance. Really, Uzumaki. King?"

Ayume snorted as she crossed her arms and looked up at the trees from a short distance away. "What's the big deal anyway?"

The green haired boy with her rolled his eyes. "That loser? I remember him from the academy. How the heck does he figure he's..."

The animal looked back at them with an annoyed glare. "I married their queen, remember?"

Kira nodded. "That's right. He was crowned during the great Kitsune Autumn Festival in Shadow Realm. He's not pretending, he's a real king."

Masara seemed pleased. "Right, whether he likes it or not."

The golden fox seemed about ready to snap at him, but relaxed. "Right. I guess so."

Tsunade looked out of the corner of her eyes at him. "Konoha doesn't intend to tip our hand. However, you may need to know some of the other Country's leaders. You'll need the contacts you can make here. You're not attending as one of my ninja. I'm just getting you in the door, but you need to be speaking with the country's representatives, and I'll introduce you to Raikage. You don't have to make friends, but you should be aware of who they are, and what they look like. As the leader of a nation, you should, even if you do not intend to make relations. It could lead to a mistake that may cause problems for your people. Not looking like yourself may help with that, you look older than you really are that way, and it could help. You've got nine tails, most people will assume you're at least nine hundred years old. I wouldn't recommend mentioning that you're not, that you're new to being King, or that your wife is free. It could give the mistaken impression that Konohagakure is weaker because of it. It would not help any of us, you included, for anyone to learn that Konoha is without it's Jinchuriki."

Naruto frowned up at her in confusion. "What the heck is a Jinchuriki?"

Koruma looked down at him in mild surprise. "You are, or rather you were. It's someone with one of the tailed beasts sealed within them. Humans call them Biiju, and our queen is one of them, and the most powerful. There are others as well. Kumo has two of them. The two tails and the eight tails both reside here in hosts."

Their King got a bit wide eyed. "Huh?"

Masara spoke up as well. "Yeah. That boy Sasuke fought in the exams, Gaara of the Sand, is the host of the one tail."

The golden fox looked at the ground. "That's interesting. They are like I used to be?"

"Sort of." Kira gave a shrug. "It's a little different because of the Fourth's seal, but yeah."

Ino cocked her head. "I'm confused. What's going on?"

Yugao looked down at her and smiled. "It seems the Hokage has taken Uzumaki under her wing. She's helping him with his new position of King of the Kitsune."

The blond girl nodded. "I already knew about that. What's this about not being able to use him? He's an ANBU right? What about us?"

Sakura and Sasuke both took note of the conversation and glanced back.

Tsunade spoke up. "He's an ANBU Captain. I just can't send him on missions. Putting his life in danger by giving him contracts and sending him on S ranked missions would hurt our relations with the Kitsune if he became injured or killed. Don't worry, he'll be fine. It's not as bad as he's making it out to be. He's a Jounin, and an ANBU Captain. He has plenty of room to act on his own."

The gold fox was hanging back and glowering at her while mocking her speaking behind her back. His three guards were stifling chuckles. He was not pleased, but not angry with her either. He didn't like that she was running her mouth and telling anyone within earshot about him. There also wasn't anything he could do to stop her.

The woman turned to frown at him a little, and he looked away with an innocent expression. His guard was doing the same thing, but weren't as good at hiding it as he was.

The other ninja in the group looked both confused and flustered. No one seemed sure what to say or think about it all.

Neji nodded and crossed his arms. "So, seems you're not as cursed as you thought."

The animal snorted. "Are you kidding me? It's awful. I've trained my whole life to do what I was told, be a tool and a servant, and what does it get me? Put in charge. As bad as it sounds, I'd almost take that curse of yours just to be back in a familiar position again. I've got no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do. Tsunade just keeps telling me, 'Oh! You'll be fine! Don't worry! You'll get it!' I've not got a clue, and it's making me nervous as hell just thinking about it."

The boy shook his head and cracked a slight grin. "I see. I still want to fight you. I've not given up yet."

The animal gave a half hearted shrug and looked less than interested. "Yeah. Sasuke says that sometimes too. I don't get that attitude, but hey. I don't really get being King either."

Rock Lee crossed his arms and frowned at the creature. "You should not speak of the Hokage in such a familiar way."

The animal's ears went back. "It was her idea. Well, actually her idea was even worse. She tried to make me call her, Li'l Tsunade. I had to talk her out of it."

Lee's jaw dropped. "That's very inappropriate!"

Naruto nodded. "That's what I said." He looked annoyed again and ahead of them. "I thought I was coming along as a guard. A little notice about this would have been nice."

Tsunade glanced at him. "If I had said something, you would have tried to get out of it."

Kira nodded. "She knows you pretty well, Highness."

The gold fox hung his head. "Shut up would you?"

OooOOooOO

The gates of Kumogakure opened wide and Naruto was still in his henge. He gave a small sigh as the man at the gates regarded him. He was the same ninja who had met the groups of Genin arriving for the first part of the finals.

Tsunade smiled at him. "Hello. I am Tsunade, Hokage of Konohagakure."

The man nodded his head. "We have been waiting for your arrival." He paused and noticed that three of the group was standing around a large gold fox. They weren't wearing Konoha forehead protectors, but had a strange symbol he didn't recognize. "Who are you? What business do you have in Kumo? Speak quickly, or I shall be forced to detain you."

The fox flattened it's ears and growled a little. "They're my guard."

The man snorted and looked at Tsunade. "We weren't expecting you to bring a pet."

Naruto snapped at him. "I'm not a pet." His tails wagged behind him and the man looked confused.

Masara looked annoyed with the man. "This is the King of Shadow Realm."

Koruma seemed a bit amused. "Yes, we're here to watch the finals of the Chunin exams."

Tsunade tugged on her hat. "Yes. I met him a few months ago. He may be interested in hiring shinobi in the future."

The gold fox cocked his head. "Well, maybe someday. Not much use for them at the moment, but you never know." He seemed to realize that it might indeed be useful to do so at some point. He glanced at Tsunade and seemed to realize that he could hire outside help for Konoha or himself if he desired. He was wealthy enough to hire shinobi if he ever needed to on behalf of Shadow Realm. They didn't have a Shinobi village of their own, and the Kitsune, while far from weak, weren't military minded or organized in such a manner.

From what he'd seen, they were skilled archers as a culture, but their strength showed was more in deception and numbers. They were stealthy and sneaky more than strong and powerful. Their illusions were their greatest strength, and while quite powerful on the whole, individually they weren't all that strong from what he knew. They preferred fighting at a distance, or evading trouble. A group of ninja or a clan would pose little threat, but a village of them against them might prove troublesome, never mind a country. He couldn't discount their strength as a group, but they were more suited to a support role and weren't a warrior culture.

The Kumo man frowned at this. He ran his fingers through his shaggy white mop of hair. "I'm not certain I can allow you to enter."

The woman crossed her arms. "I was planning on introducing him to Raikage. I'm sure the delegates will be interested in meeting him as well."

The white haired man nodded and waved for them to follow. "It's on your head, woman."

OooOOooOO

Naruto found himself standing in front of a very large man with bronze skin and a scowl on his face. Tsunade gave a small smile and nodded as she entered his office. Sasuke and Sakura were both outside the door with Kira, Masara, and Koruma standing guard in the hall.

"Raikage, it is good to finally meet you." She bowed her head in greeting.

The man smirked and crossed his arms. "Ah. The new Hokage. I've heard of you of course. Tsunade, the Slug nin, one of Konoha's legendary three. Quite impressive." The last part sounded a little sarcastic.

The gold fox was starting to wonder if transforming was such a good idea. He was getting a little warm indoors, but his coat was perfect for outside. The mountain air was a little chilly, but the interior of the building was kept warm. He let his tongue hang out and found it helped to pant a bit as he sat on the floor and looked between them. He regarded them both as they talked.

The man seemed to be puffing himself up and trying to look impressive. He succeeded pretty well. "I hope you are well. The event doesn't start for a few hours yet. I'll have my assistant show you to a room where you can freshen up before the exam begins." He paused and regarded the rather large animal sitting beside her in his office. "What is this thing?"

Naruto spoke up and flattened his ears. "Thing?"

The man looked surprised. "It speaks? Interesting pet."

The fox growled a little at him. "I am not a pet." His tails wagged in agitation behind him.

Raikage noticed there was more than one, quite a few in fact. "Nine tails? His eyes went a little wide. What the?" He uncrossed his arms a bit.

Tsunade spoke up. "He's a potential client. This is the Fox King, the ruler of Shadow Realm. I met him a few months ago. I asked him to come along so he could see the strength of Konohagakure's ninja."

The large man narrowed his eyes at her. "I see."

The animal nodded. "I don't have much need of ninja at the moment. However, you never know. I'm interested to see how Kumogakure performs as well."

That caught Tsunade off guard a little. She arched her eyebrow and regained her composure.

The large man frowned at her. "This is not your Jinchuriki?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, this is the husband of Fire Country's Biiju."

An aged voice spoke up as the door to the office closed. "Interesting that he would be with you then. I'd think he'd be rather upset with Konohagakure considering."

The gold fox looked back and noticed a small old man with a large nose looking at him. He was about as tall as he was as a fox and wore a large hat like Raikage and Tsunade.

The largest of the Kage glared at him. "How long have you been there?"

Tsuchikage, the leader of Iwagakure leaned on his cane and smirked at the two younger Kage. "Well, I wasn't expecting the Hokage to be here. Hello. I suppose it is pleasant to meet you."

Tsunade nodded in greeting and looked very serious. "Tsuchikage, a pleasure."

Raikage chuckled. "I'm surprised you showed up. None of your Genin made it."

The old man gave a wheezing chuckle. "I didn't expect it. If I had known the Hokage would be attending I might not have come. They are all first timers this time. So, a kitsune? What brings you?"

Naruto perked his ears up and looked a bit shifty. "It sounded interesting."

Tsunade blushed a bit. "It was a last minute decision. I probably wouldn't have come if not for his Highness. I thought he might find it interesting, and invited him."

Tsuchikage nodded. "I suppose he would. I wasn't aware Shadow Realm had a king."

Raikage frowned at Tsunade. "Yes. Neither was I. If this is an impostor or some kind of joke..."

The old man seemed amused. "You're always so excitable. What does it matter?"

The nine tailed fox lifted his nose and said nothing.

Tsunade gave a small shake of her head. "It doesn't. I'm not the type to joke about it. It seems the Kitsune have become more interested in interacting with humans recently."

Tsuchikage looked at Naruto. "What for?"

"It makes it easier to screw with your kind. Plus, we have a liking for some of your food. It's easier if we don't need to steal it or trick you out of it. We can get more, and have a more steady and reliable supply and we can offer certain, services, if we're so inclined."

Again, Tsunade cocked her eyebrow.

Raikage gave a rough snort. "Such as?"

Naruto cocked his head with his ears perked up. "Are the two of you aware that both Lightning Country and Earth Country have hidden Sound bases within your borders?"

Everyone in the room was looking at him. Even Tsunade seemed surprised at him bringing it up.

He looked away with his ears flattened against his head. "If I like you, I might tell you where."

Raikage bowed up. "If you don't, I'll have a new rug for..."

Tsuchikage narrowed his eyes at the man. "I do hope you realize that you're making threats to a nine tailed fox. I admit I didn't know Shadow Realm had a king, but I suggest you consider the possible consequences if he is being honest. Think carefully before you make threats."

Naruto nodded. "Right." There was no way he could break his Henge until he left. He was very nervous, but did his best to hide it. "I was planning on telling you anyway. I don't care much for them. That jerk Orochimaru threatened my son. He'll kill him if he gets the chance."

The oldest of the group nodded. "I see. Your presence here and interest in our kind makes more sense now. Orochimaru is a powerful ninja."

The gold fox looked at him. "He's got an interest in Fire Country and hates Konohagakure. However, he's been keeping an eye on the two of you as well. I suspect that every Country has at least one small base hidden in it for spying purposes. Fire Country has quite the infestation. Wind Country has a similar problem, but I'm less inclined to help them out considering. They were helping him, and I don't trust them."

Tsunade seemed to relax a little more. "Yes."

Tsuchikage had a bit of a sparkle in his eyes. "Well, then. It is an honor to meet you then."

Tsunade glanced over her shoulder as Raikage's attendant stood by the doorway waiting on her. "I suppose I'll go and freshen up. You boys play nice." Naruto had been digging himself into a hole, but had managed to talk himself out of it without her help. He was quite skilled at being almost honest it seemed. She was a bit nervous about leaving him alone with them, but didn't see the need to hold his hand any longer. She noticed he didn't seem upset with her leaving.

Raikage sat behind his desk. "About these bases?"

The gold fox nodded. "I only know about one. Do you have a map?"

The man opened the drawer to his desk and pulled one out. It was a large map of the world and took up the whole of his desk. The fox looked down at it and pointed with his paw. "Here. Near the border in these mountains. It's an underground tunnel network in this valley. The entrance is a small abandoned shack. Expect a few traps to be set around it. Probably a few early warning perimeter defenses. I'm to understand the area around it is covered in seals that will alert them to intruders." He moved over to Earth Country and tapped his paw down. "Here. On the edge of this desert region. There's a small oasis, the base is hidden underground. Most of them are actually. There's a cave hidden in a large grouping of boulders. It's close to the water, but not right next to it. Within a half kilometer of the site to the north. Defenses are pretty much the same, seals near the entrance, and traps about sixty yards out in every direction. Covered pits mostly."

The old man seemed to consider it. "I see. I shall have my ninja look into it."

Raikage looked very firm and serious. "As will I. How do you know this?"

The golden animal looked at him. "Like I would tell anyone that. What does it matter? I'm a king, and I've got good sources. I've got reason to be interested in Sound's dealings and I've been watching them for a while now."

The two Kage blinked and looked at each other. Neither one seemed entirely satisfied with that answer.

Naruto looked towards the door and narrowed his eyes. "Heh." He was annoyed at Tsunade, and had gotten her attention more than once in the meeting he'd noticed. "Hey. You two guys can keep a secret right? She'll be pretty mad if she finds out about this."

Raikage nodded. "About what?"

Tsuchikage seemed very interested. "Yes. What is it?"

Naruto reached into his fur and slapped five photos onto the desk with his paw. "Pictures of the Fifth Hokage in the bath. Set of five, for three thousand Ryo."

The two men got very wide eyes and looked down at the pictures. Tsunade was quite nude, and sitting on the edge of a large bath pool in various positions that showed off her figure.

Tsuchikage wiped his chin and got very wide eyes. "Ooh!"

Raikage grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Deal."

Naruto chuckled and glanced at the old man. "How about it? She's got a hundred and six centimeter bust. Don't tell me that's not impressive."

The oldest Kage considered it. "Very well. I cannot pass up such an opportunity."

The fox seemed pleased and wagged his tails. "Just don't let her catch you with them."

Tsuchikage he handed over the money with Raikage. The old man glanced at the fox for a moment and peered at hsi photos. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You are a Kitsune after all."

Naruto nodded and let his tongue hang out. "Yeah. I'm king of the perverts." He seemed quite pleased with himself.

Any doubt Tsuchikage might have had about the validity of his identity was gone at that statement.

Raikage leaned towards Naruto. "If you ever get the opportunity, I would be willing to pay handsomely for photos like this of Mizukage as well."

The old man narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Yes. Agreed. She's quite beautiful, completely psychotic, but very attractive."

The gold fox nodded. "Really? Huh. I'll see what I can do, but no promises." He looked back and fourth between the two men. "Don't forget, she'll be pretty pissed if she catches you with these. She's got a short temper too."

Tsuchikage closed his eyes and mulled over that information for a moment. "Understood."

Raikage agreed. "Yes. She is no match for me, but I've no intention of provoking her."

OooOOooOO

Naruto growled a little as he looked at the seating. The seats were designed for humans, and he wouldn't fit comfortably into them. "Great." He didn't want to sit on the stairs, though his three guards were standing around him. There wasn't really anyone there yet, and the arena was still empty.

It was a very different set up than the arena in Konoha. It was a large pit, with logs planted into the ground as pillars, and an ankle deep pool of water on the bottom. There was a horizontal suspended log over the top of the pit, with a door on either side that the combatants would enter through. The poles in the ground below varied in height, but none were tall enough to reach the suspended log. The result was a lot of cover at the bottom, lots of footholds above the water, and an open face off to start the match.

He looked about at his trio of guardians and gave a heavy sigh. "Why not?" He closed his eyes and muttered under his breath. "Sexy no Jutsu."

Masara, Koruma, and Kira all blinked as they looked on at the blond girl who appeared before them. She was clothed in a simple kimono and pulled her forehead protector up to her forehead. "That works."

The redhead smirked at the scene. "Hey, that's pretty good, Highness."

The green haired girl nodded. "Yes. Very impressive."

The violet haired girl smiled as they took position around his seat. "You realize we're going to remember you can do this later, right?"

The young blond girl sucked in a quick breath and glanced around. The trio was giving him a rather wicked looking stare. "Hey. Cut it out. I am so not doing that. I'm a guy."

Koruma and Masara nodded. "So are we."

The blond frowned at them. "No dudes. I've got limits, and I'm not willing to negotiate."

Kira giggled. "That's okay. There's lots of fun things we can do even if we're all female."

The other two nodded and looked very pleased. "She's right," agreed the redhead.

Naruto scowled and regretted what he'd done. "Should have just sat on the stairs." He could tell already they weren't going to let it go, and it was already too late to take it back. He also had trouble putting up much resistance once they were nude and knew it. "Crap."

Then, his situation got worse. Other delegates were starting to arrive. The seats were filling up fast, and no one had noticed his transformation.

An older man with fine clothes moved up. "Well, hello. I've not seen you before." He looked to be in his forties and had a balding head with a ponytail tied up and fanned over his head. He opened a fan with a familiar symbol on it. A leaf pointing upright from a branch. "I am Mofune, the ambassador of Tea Country. Are you here with someone?" The man bowed to the blond and grinned at her and what appeared to be three rather attractive kunoichi guards.

"Not really." She looked annoyed, but the man didn't seem to notice. "I suppose it's..." She sucked in a quick breath and got a little wide eyed in disgust as he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"It's unsettling to see such lovely ladies all alone at such an event. It's a brutal affair." He didn't notice her wipe her hand off on her clothes and glare at him in annoyance. "What is your name?"

The young blond glanced over his shoulder and was distracted. A familiar man with long blond hair and a bow hooked over his shoulder was standing with the man. He was wearing a forehead protector with the Tea Country symbol on it. The man noticed her gaze and turned his eyes away.

Naruto shook her head and looked at the older man. "Huh? Tea Country?"

The ambassador nodded. "Yes. Our nation is quite wealthy. It is a prosperous time indeed. Surely a woman such as yourself can appreciate the finer things in life?"

The young Jounin glanced over at the blond man with him. "A friend of yours?"

The older man frowned a little at his companion. "Yes, this is Kai. He is my bodyguard. A capable man, but his type is rather boring don't you think."

Naruto nodded and looked away again. The old guy was starting to creep her out a little. The last time she saw 'Kai' he was calling himself Tanuki. He gave her a nod and seemed less than interested in the conversation.

"Ah. Mofune. It is good to see you again." A thirty year old man with short cut brown hair in rich clothes with a cape moved up.

The older man narrowed his eyes and gave a fake looking smile. "Yes. It has been a while."

The new man glanced at the four women and noticed they weren't smiling. They also didn't seem upset, but it was clear the blond was being polite and nothing more. "Who is this lovely young flower?" He bowed and took her hand. Naruto's guard did little to block him, but kept position around her. The blond almost jerked her hand away, but suffered through it. "I am Iwaza, representative of River Country."

Yet another man appeared. "How boring." This time he had slicked back black hair and appeared to be in his young twenties. "I'm certain she doesn't wish to speak to such old men." He smiled at her and sniffed on a lily flower. "I am Iroda, of Marsh Country. I never expected to see such beauty at such an event. While I admit the women of Kumo have a certain allure, none of them can mach such flowers as these."

Mofune was clearly annoyed. "Huh. Such a poor land, with little to speak of that is of any worth."

Iroda snorted. "Marsh Country is well known for the passion of it's people, and the romantic prowess of it's men. Tea Contry is known for little more than surly sailors and bar maids."

Naruto gave him a small glare. "You've got something against bar maids?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Of course not. They serve their purpose and see to it that the common man's needs are met, as well as ensure that their lines continue."

Iwaza gave a small sigh and rolled his eyes. "Now, now. I'm sure this lovely young woman is less than interested in hearing about such droll subjects."

A new voice spoke up. "Looks to me like all of you are bugging her. Why don't you lay off?"

The group glanced back and noticed another young man with short brown hair and with a sword on his back. His clothes were neat and expensive, but not as flashy as the others. He had his feet kicked up on top of the seat in front of him and his hands behind his head. He was giving them a cool gaze and scowled.

Kai glanced back at him and nodded.

"Captain Kagome. I see that Valley Country can't afford to send anyone of worth, yet again." Iwaza gave a snort and lifted his nose. "Just a dirty soldier."

The young man smirked. "None of you idiots is getting laid you know. Not with this one."

Mofune snorted. "How crude. To suggest such a thing is an offense. If we weren't the guests of Kumo, I would have Kai gut you."

Naruto hadn't been able to get much of a word in, and his 'guards' weren't inclined to do anything but stand and watch. None of the people around 'her' were a threat. In fact, they were stifling chuckles and doing their best to look both sultry and serious at the same time.

Naruto looked at the newest one to speak up. "Captain Kagome?"

The young man nodded. "That's right. Kagome Izume, Captain of the Royal Guard of Valley Country." He simply nodded and didn't get up.

The young blond nodded. "A soldier then? I can respect that." She glanced at the group surrounding her.

The men frowned at the Captain. Iwaza was the first to speak up. "Yes. A simple man, no sophistication. I'm sure a woman of such culture would find such a man less than interesting."

Mofune looked like he wanted to shove him aside. "Tell us, from where do you hail? I didn't catch your name."

She smiled at him. "I didn't give it. You've all been talking, and it would have been rude to interrupt."

He blushed a bit.

Iwaza narrowed his eyes. "Then tell us, we're very interested."

Iroda nodded as well. "Yes. We've never seen you before. You'd be rather hard to miss. Miss?"

Kai spoke up and surprised Mofune a little. "Yes. I've never seen that symbol before. Forgive me if I speak out of place, but what country does it represent? I am not familiar with it."

Naruto glanced at him and narrowed his eyes a little. "Not at all." He didn't know him, and though he was working against Fire Country in the past, they were not enemies as far as he knew.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. Where are you from anyway? I've never seen that symbol either, and I've been around a bit." He glanced at the group. "She's married you know. Not that it matters much to any of you."

Iwaza chuckled. "Not at all. Why should it?"

The young blond gave a small shrug. "I'm the ruler of Shadow Realm."

The men around her went very quiet. All of them looked shocked and had gone a little pale.

"S-shadow Realm?" Mofune stuttered.

Masara nodded. "Yes. Highness is the ruler of Kitsune and all of Shadow Realm."

The blond tossed her hair a little and stuck her nose up.

Izume gave a small snort. "Guess she probably doesn't care much either."

Kai narrowed his eyes at the young blond. "I wasn't aware that Shadow Realm had a current ruler."

Kira shrugged at him. "We don't relate much with humans."

Mofune was rubbing his hands together. "Well, If there's anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable?" It was obvious he was getting his hopes up.

Kai looked a little worried about that. He remained silent.

Naruto seemed to notice it. "I'm afraid I don't care much for males. The Captain is correct, and none of you is getting laid. It is nice to meet you all I suppose."

Kagome gave a small snorting laugh as he seemed to relax. "That's interesting. What brings you?"

The young blond looked back at him. "I've got my reasons. I don't really know any of you though. I'd rather keep them to myself." The boxes were almost filled, and she noticed quite a few of the men giving glances towards her and the three Kitsune guards with her. There were other women with some of the delegates.

"What are you lot doing? Hounding this girl?" A new voice spoke up. An aggressive looking and loud woman strolled up to the scene. "Perverts, clear off, the lot of you."

Mofune smiled over his shoulder. "Ah. Representative, Umi. It is pleasant to..."

A pretty woman with gray eyes and aqua colored hair growled at him. She was wearing an expensive looking dress and had her long hair pinned up. "You dried up old pervert. Get lost."

Iwaza moved up to put his arm across her shoulder. "Representative, Umi. You shouldn't be so cold."

The woman slapped his arm away. "You as well. Don't think I don't know what you're doing here." She slapped Iroda's hand away from her rear. "I said clear off."

Kai gave a heavy sigh and stepped between her and Mofune. "You know I can't let you hit him. Even if you do think he deserves it."

The woman calmed a little, she looked to be in her mid twenties. "Yeah. Well, if you want to protect him, tell him to find somewhere else to sit." She gave a heavy sigh and looked at the confused blond girl. Her three friends were all smiling at her. "You. I've not seen you before. Is this your first time? What country are you representing?" She continued to talk as she sat down. "You've got to be firm with those idiots or they won't respect you at all. Nothing but penises with legs. The lot of them."

Naruto cocked 'her' head and just looked on. "Who are you?" The men shuffled off looking annoyed with her.

"I'm Uzumaki Umi, the representative of Whirlpool Country."

"Umi! Good to see you!" Another voice, much more cheerful sounding piped up. A young brunette woman of about twenty three sat down next to the newcomer. She was wearing a tight skirt with fishnet leggings.

"Hello, Mizu. Nice to see you as well."

Naruto was wide eyed as he looked at the blue haired woman. "U-Uzumaki?"

The newest woman looked at her. "Who are you? I've not seen you before. I'm Mizu, representative of Wave Country."

The blond shook it off and glanced at Mizu. "I'm..." He caught himself before he mentioned his name. "...The ruler of Shadow Realm."

Both women looked at her with rather blank expressions.

Kagome was still sitting behind the scene in a relaxed pose. "So, you four are Kitsune then?" He seemed confident and relaxed and was friendly enough without showing too much interest.

Masara nodded. "That's right."

Umi glanced back. "Oh. Another pervert. Hello, Izume."

Mizu blushed and smiled at him. "Captain..."

The man simply lifted his hand and gave a small wave. "Hey. Been a while."

Kira seemed to notice that Naruto was distracted by the blue haired woman. "Uzumaki? I've heard that name before. Do you know anyone from Konohagakure?"

The woman glanced at her and frowned. "No. There's no one...not for a long time."

Masara nodded. "We're older than we look. Her name was Uzumaki Kushina, she was the wife of the Fourth Hokage."

Umi glanced at him. "I see. Yes. She was my sister."

Naruto looked away. "Older...sister?"

The woman frowned at her. "What's it to you? What's your name anyway?"

The young blond girl glanced at her and opened his mouth. "I'm..." He looked towards where the Hokage was sitting. There was a private observation box where she was sitting down next to Raikage opposite Tsuchikage. "..."

Mizu looked confused.

Umi was starting to get annoyed. "Spit it out then. What business of yours is it? Did you know Kushina or something?"

Naruto frowned. "I didn't know her."

Koruma nodded towards Masara. "The two of us are from around that area. We've heard of her, but we didn't know her. We only knew her as the wife of the Fourth."

The woman nodded. "I see. Yes. I'm afraid she left home when I was young. She died shortly after, and didn't stay in contact with the family after she left." She glanced at the blond girl again. "So, what's you're name?"

Naruto was drawing a complete blank. He couldn't think well enough to make one up on the spot and just worked his mouth for a moment.

"Don't have a name, do you?" Kagome spoke up and the group of women glanced back at him.

The blond glanced back at him.

Umi frowned at him. "Of course she does. Who doesn't have a name?"

Masara spoke up. "A lot of our kind don't. We're not human, and we recognize each other by our scent. Names aren't very useful to us. Some of us picked one up from interacting with humans, but we don't use them with our own kind."

Izume chuckled. "Watch out for Umi, she's got some sort of complex about perverts."

Kira blinked. "What for?"

"What kind of girl are you?" growled the blue haired girl.

"Total Sluts," replied the trio with the blond. Their leader rolled her eyes and put her face in her hands.

Mizu blinked and looked at Umi. "You're never going to get married if you keep this up."

She turned red and crossed her arms. "Who says I want to be? I don't need a man!"

Naruto looked uncomfortable and glanced at her. "I guess I can understand that. I don't care much for guys either." He didn't notice Umi look over at 'her' out of the corner of her eye and blush a little.

She noticed him giving her glances and settled into her seat a little more with a smirk forming on her face. "Don't like guys huh?" she thought to herself. "Interesting." Her grin got a bit wider and she let her top open up a little more as she tossed her hair. The young blond was giving her nervous and shy looking glances out of the corner of her eye and didn't seem to notice that she'd seen it. "Very interesting indeed. She's hot."

Izume considered mentioning that the young blond girl wasn't human, and was likely really male, but decided it would be more fun to not say anything. It did give him a moment of pause, it was an unusual thing for a Kitsune to say, even a male one. He'd met a couple in the past in his travels. Wasn't a bad memory either. Considering the looks the Whirlpool Country representative was getting from the blond one, it might do her a bit of good and calm her down. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, and the blond Shadow Realm 'girl' seemed to be interested in her.

If she was distracted, he might be able to get some time alone with Mizu. She knew the girl liked him, and Umi was a huge cock block.

The event was starting, and talking petered down in the observation deck.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Final Exam!

This ended up being a bit bigger than I initially thought. The next chapter will focus on Ino, and the exam itself. Yes, Umi will be providing uncomfortable yet hilarious moments for Naruto later on.


	38. Chapter 38

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 38

Ino's Final Exam: Round 1!

OooOOooOO

The other side of the observation deck across from the delegates and guests of Kumo was filled with twenlve Genin and their four Jounin instructors. They had been given a small talk by Shi, the proctor and referee of the final exam. The rules were the same as the Konohagakure exams. Fight until one opponent is incapacitated, gives up, or the referee stepped in to halt the fight. Killing techniques were permitted, but deaths were to be prevented if possible by the interference of the proctor.

Ino glared out across the arena. There was a lot of room, the bottom was a shallow pool of water, with about twenty five pillars made of wooden logs jutting up from the ground. They varied in height, and didn't reach the log suspended over the arena where the matches would start. The highest of them were about three feet below it, but most of the posts were anywhere from five to seven feet below it, with about twenty feet to the water below from the suspended log. "Interesting."

Tenten glanced at her and smirked. "Well, I'm looking forward to the fight." She would be facing one of Ayume's companions, the Genin with green hair. "I hope we get to fight, it's obvious you're stronger than you were before."

The blond glanced at her. "Careful what you wish for."

The dark haired girl in Chinese style clothes seemed amused by the comment. "Well, you've grown, but that doesn't mean you've got a chance at winning."

Neji and Ayume were beside her and ignoring the conversation. Lee was behind her with his arms crossed. "I'm anxious to begin."

Ryoji and Genji were leaning against the wall behind him. Neither one seemed interested. Genji was facing one of the Kumo ninja, Ryoji was fighting one of Ayume's companions. The blue haired boy who's name none of them knew. They were quiet, and kept to themselves through the exam. They seemed to look to the Hyuga girl as their leader. Lee was facing a Kumo girl with her white hair tied into a bun behind her head and an eye patch over her left eye. Neji was fighting another Kumo Ninja in his first match, a large boy with white cornrows and a scowl on his face. He was muscular for his age, but nowhere near the size of the Raikage with two short spiked clubs poking out over his shoulders.

Ino couldn't see Naruto in the opposite observation deck. It didn't strike her as odd, but the young blond girl his three Kitsune friends were standing around seemed familiar. "What the? What the hell is he doing?" She seemed to realize it was him after noticing the black forehead protector she was wearing. "What is with that weird pervert anyway?" She knew she wasn't supposed to say anything about him anyway, and decided it was best to just ignore it and forget about it.

She looked towards the entrance to the field as the Jounin who had explained the rules hopped up to the middle of the log. "The first match will begin as soon as the first two Genin are ready. Yamanaka Ino, and Hyuuga Ayume." The Hyuuga girl smirked at her in a dark manner as she strolled towards one of the entrances. There was a small stairway that lead down to a small walkway along the edge of the wall. Each end of the log had a separate entrance for each of the two Genin who would be facing each other. His name was Shi, and he had light skin and feathered hair that seemed to lie on top of his forehead protector.

Ino gave no indication she'd noticed the gesture and walked towards the closest entrance. Ayume kept her eye on her as she made her way over to the other. Both of them stepped out on the log and Shi was looking towards Ayume. "All right, that's one. Where is Yamanaka? Did she forfeit or something?"

"I'm right here. Anytime you're ready." The blond girl had her eyebrow cocked and her arms crossed behind him.

Shi glanced behind him and seemed surprised. His eyes went a little narrow as he looked at her. "What the?" He was a chakra sensor, there was no way she should have been able to walk right up behind him without him knowing it. He tried to cover up his surprise and nodded. "All right. Bow and begin."

Ayume had her eyes locked onto her opponent's and bowed. "You're so dead."

Ino returned the gesture and remained silent. Both girls stepped back in a combat stance as Shi jumped back onto one of the taller log pillars to observe.

The Hyuuga girl charged. "Get ready to die!"

Ino stood her ground right up until her opponent neared her and tried lash out at her with two extended fingers. She simply slid sideways and stood on the bottom of the log with her arms crossed and hung there.

Ayume was thrown off balance by the maneuver and growled as she staggered back into balance. "What the?"

Ino stepped back around the log behind her in a rather casual manner. She didn't say a word and spun into a kick that took the white eyed girl dead in the back of her head.

Ayume was thrown off the log and landed on the side of one of the pillars. She stuck in place and glared up at the rather malevolent looking blond girl as she stood on the log with her arms crossed while glaring down at her. The dark haired girl was rubbing the back of her skull and looking annoyed. "What the hell? How did she do that?" The veins around her eyes were bulging as the Byakugan worked at full strength. She gasped and jumped to the side of the opposite log as another Ino made a grab for her from behind the other side of the log. The young Hyuuga girl growled in frustration. "No way! I...I can't..."

Ino's voice spoke up. "Can't see me?"

Ayume looked up and growled. The blond ninja was standing on top of the log she was latched onto looking down at her. She screamed in rage and pushed up the side of the log with her hands, throwing a kick at the blond girl and forcing her to jump down to the top of a lower log. She was crouched and her long ponytail circled around her.

The dark haired girl pushed off and dove at her. "Stand still!"

Ino didn't move out of the way and caught her hands. She flipped them both over and ended up holding her hands with her feet in her opponent's belly. A rather large spray of water was kicked up as she landed on top of the Genin about ten feet below.

Ayume was coughing but managed to scream in time to clear her lungs and prevent getting the wind knocked out of her. The impact had also freed her arms. She jerked her hands and Ino was forced to jump back as three kunai knives passed through where she'd been. The white eyed girl was on her feet and glaring at her. "That hurt."

Ino stayed in her line of sight and nodded with a serious frown on her face. "It as supposed to."

The Hyuuga girl gritted her teeth and charged again. "I can't lose sight of her. I don't know how she's doing this! There's nothing to spot her with. She's got no chakra. I don't understand how she's even moving! This is crazy!" She was beginning to see why Hiashi wanted her dead. She'd seen that the girl had no chakra before, but had never considered that it rendered her Byakugan unable to track her outside of a direct line of sight.

Ino didn't move to hide and took a defensive stance. The white eyed girl jabbed at her with her fingers extended, attacking her chakra points.

The blond blocked and shifted out of the way, but took several strikes on her arms. She countered an overextended strike with a punch to Ayume's face, sending the girl staggering back. Again, Ino didn't move out of her line of sight.

Ayume was growing frustrated and was even more confused. "What? There's no way her arms should still work! What the hell is this? Some sort of Genjutsu?"

Ino crouched a little and put her hands up with her palms forward as she narrowed her eyes. The girl was thinking out loud. "You think I'm going to explain or something? You'd better think of something fast."

The dark haired girl growled. "I have." She had two kunai in her grip and tensed her legs. "I'll just have to cut you to shreds." Her glare became wild as she rushed forward again.

This time Ino backed away and weaved through the logs. Ayume managed to keep up, but the blond girl was difficult to keep track of. She ended up cutting several gashes into the wooden logs, but didn't manage to cut anything else but air.

Ino hopped up the side of one of the logs as her opponent stabbed at her and ended up impaling the wood instead.

Ayume's eyes darted up and she growled. "No you don't!" She knew she couldn't lose sight of her for a moment. She freed her weapon and jumped up after her. The pair bounced around the sides and top of the logs around the arena. Ino was staying just ahead of the girl and just out of reach.

The Hyuuga girl screamed in triumph as Ino stayed in place a moment too long one the side of one of the taller logs. She stabbed down with both weapons, and ended up sticking them both deeply into the wood as her target vanished in a puff of smoke. "What? A clone?"

"Shintente."

Ayume gasped in shock as her arms were suddenly pinned at her sides. She looked over at the bottom of the suspended log with wide eyes. A huge long glowing blue arm was protruding from Ino's left shoulder, the girl's real left arm was hanging by her head in a limp manner. She felt her world shift in a violent manner as the giant arm ripped her from the side of the log and tossed her into the air. "What? No way!"

Ino intercepted her in mid air by grabbing her arms and pulling her down. She was looking at her in the eyes with a rather blank expression as she held her in place and started to fall beneath her. The Hyuuga girl growled and tried to shift her feet into her opponent's belly, hoping to maneuver herself into a little payback once they hit the ground. "You dope. I've got you!"

The blond girl gave a smirk. "Do you?" She vanished in a puff of smoke, and the last thing Ayume remembered seeing was the top of one of the smaller log pillars as it slammed into her face. Her limp body flipped once in the air, and she landed on her back in the pool of water at the bottom of the arena out cold.

Yamanaka Ino was still standing on the bottom of the log with her arms cross, just as she had been for the entire match. She seemed pleased with herself and put her fingers up in a 'V'. "I win!" She tried to jump, but seemed to forget her position. After a moment of panic, she managed to flip over and land crouched next to where her opponent had landed. The girl's nose was broken, but she wouldn't die. "You're lucky I'm not supposed to kill you." She looked a bit annoyed as she noticed her condition.

Shi was standing over her. "Yamanaka Ino is the winner." His hands glowed blue as he put them over the fallen girl's face. Other medical nin were approaching to collect her and take her to the infirmary.

Lee was looking at Tenten and crossed his arms as he approached the railing of the observation deck. "Still sure you want to fight her?"

The girl frowned at him. "I won't be so easily tricked."

Neji looked rather passive and gave a small sigh. "I warned her. Oh well."

Ryoji cringed a bit. "Ouch. Brutal."

Genji shook his head. "Well, I can't say she didn't have it coming. She's been egging her on since we met her."

The larger boy nodded. "Indeed. Still, that seems like a bit much."

Her two teammates were visibly shocked. "Ayume!" cried the green haired boy.

"What the hell?" muttered his blue haired companion. "It's like she couldn't even see her!"

Their Jounin looked just as confused. "Ayume lost? What was that technique she used? I've never seen any Yamanaka do such a thing."

Yugao nodded. "Neither have I. Very interesting."

Gai seemed to agree. "Yes. A strange technique. I am also unfamiliar with it. I didn't expect Yamanaka to be so dominant in this fight."

Her Jounin glanced at him. "I didn't expect anything less. Neji might be a bit of a challenge, but I never considered Ayume to be much of a threat."

Both men looked at Yugao, the redhead seemed annoyed. Gai just appeared thoughtful. "The Yamanaka clan has always been well respected and spirited. However, I have never known them to be so overpowering in a fight. Where did she learn this technique she used?"

"I made it up." The girl was right beside the trio as they talked. "It's mine. I developed it myself."

Gai nodded and seemed less surprised than the other man. Yugao was also less than confused by her sudden appearance. Maito looked over at her. "What is it?"

The blond girl wagged her finger. "Like I'd tell. Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I went around telling people how my techniques work? Naruto would torture me for months!"

The redheaded Jounin scowled. "Naruto?"

Ino looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. No way I'm pissing him off like that. You're just gonna have to figure it out on your own."

Ayume's two teammates were glaring at her, but neither one seemed interested in speaking up. They weren't happy and were keeping their distance. It was easy to see they were shaken by the Hyuuga girl's loss. Especially considering how easy it seemed for the blond girl to beat her.

OooOOooOO

Neji's first battle was a short affair. He had no difficulty with his opponent. The large Genin he was facing used two clubs to fight, and quickly fell apart after his hands were rendered unable to hold them. He won in less than three minutes, and his opponent was never given much opportunity to retaliate.

Ino didn't seem that surprised, and glanced at him as he walked by.

He glanced at her and frowned. "I hope you've made your preparations. I am your next match, and you will not survive."

The blond girl tossed her hair. "You've got no chance. I'm not impressed. I could have beat that loser in less than two minutes."

He gave a humorless chuckle and shook his head. "Be ready. I cannot show any mercy."

"I know," Ino didn't seem the slightest bit concerned with his threat. "It's no accident that you weren't told to stop. I'm here to prove something, and if you think you're strong enough to kill me, you're in for a nasty surprise, Hyuuga."

The boy's face fell a little. He didn't look angry, but was clearly surprised by her reply. "You know. I almost hope you're right."

Lee scowled at him as he moved past. Tenten looked a little worried. The boy moved up to Ino's side. "Ino. I do not wish to sound as if I do not respect your strength. You have grown much stronger than I imagined. However, perhaps it would be best if you forfeited your next match. Neji has more than just your defeat in mind. I have no desire to watch you die. Even I would not fight him under such conditions. He is the most powerful Genin here."

The girl frowned at him. "No. I am."

The female Kumo ninja glanced over at the pair. "You Konoha nin sure talk a lot. That was a pretty impressive fight, but you're not the strongest kunoichi here. I am."

The boy at her side rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Sahara." He was another light skinned ninja with loose clothes and had some sort of chain weapon hanging around his waist several times.

She frowned at him. "Shut up, Kudami. You've never beaten me." She was wearing a tight fitting bodysuit with an equally tight skirt. Her hair was tied up behind her head, and she had dark skin like a majority of the Kumo ninja.. "All this talk of strength bores me. We'll show you what truly strong ninja are."

Ino frowned at her. "Heh. We'll see."

The male Kumo ninja glanced down at the arena. "Something seems to be bothering Shi. He's been glaring at her quite a bit."

Sahara narrowed her eyes. "So what? I'm not going to lose to the likes of these Konoha brats. One of the Hyuuga is out of the way. So that only leaves one, and I doubt this girl will beat him. I'll get to finally defeat one of them and show Raikage that there's nothing of note about them."

Tenten frowned over her shoulder at her. "You talk pretty big. You don't seem like much to me."

Lee didn't speak up but glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. She was his first match.

Sahara looked at Kudami and nodded towards the arena. "You're up. Try not to be to hard on these weaklings. We've got to show Kumo's strength and uphold our village's honor. Don't screw up."

The boy didn't seem pleased, but didn't argue as he moved towards the arena. Genji followed after him with his hands in his pockets. "Should be interesting. Hopefully all that stupid training paid off. That sadistic jerk you stuck us with was a real asshole."

Ryoji nodded. "I'll say. What the hell was with that prick anyway? He told us that he'd slit our throats if we failed."

Ino narrowed her eyes at them. "Sasuke is awesome, you dopes. You'd better listen to him too. If he said that he meant it."

The large boy seemed a bit annoyed. "Yeah. Right."

Genji shook his head. "As if. He's..."

Ino scowled at them both. "I'm not joking. You'd better pass."

The brunette seemed a bit nervous as he staggered out to his place over the arena. He glanced towards where the Hokage was sitting and turned a bit pale as one of the two ANBU guarding her lifted his hand up and ran his thumb across his throat. "Crap." He turned to face his opponent.

Ryoji noticed it as well. "Don't tell me...that's..."

Ino seemed pleased and nodded. "Yeah. Isn't he great? You'd better do your best and hope you pass, cause he's watching you."

Shi looked between the two combatants. "Are you both ready? Good. Then bow and begin."

Both boys gave the minimal display of respect and stepped back into a combat stance.

Genji moved first, rushing forward to attack. The Kumo boy jumped back onto one of the poles and swept his arm. The Konoha Genin noticed a purple glow in his hand. "Some sort of jutsu?" He gasped as he was forced off the suspended log and onto another of the log pillars. The chain that had been around the boy's waist was uncoiled and swung at him like a whip. The brunette frowned as he was forced to jump back and down as it changed trajectory in mid swing and arced back at him again. "What the?" He ended up stuck on the side of one of the poles.

Kudami chuckled. "You're a close range fighter. How fortunate for me. I have an advantage in my first match."

The Konoha Genin narrowed his eyes. "Do you now?"

The Kumo ninja looked quite smug. "Of course. My weapon is infused with my electric chakra, creating an electromagnetic link that allows me to control it completely. A powerful defense, you can't get close enough to hurt me." The whip circled around his body several times suspended in the air about two feet away from him providing a barrier of chains.

Genji jumped off of his perch and onto another pole as the whip lashed out again. The end of the chain had a kunai on it as a counterweight. It looked to be about fifteen feet long and was made up of medium sized inch long links. "Interesting."

Kudami remained on his perch and lashed out with the weapon. "All you can do is run. Sooner or later, you'll wear down. Why don't you just give up?"

The boy bounced away as the tip took another stab at him and put his hands in front of his mouth. "I'm not a close range fighter." He blew into his palms and jumped away again leaving a trail of flames from his cupped palms at his side. He landed on the side of another pole and thrust his palms forward. "Hidama!"

The Kumo nin growled as he jumped away and landed on top of another pole. He lashed at the projectile with his whip.

Genji was glaring with is right two fingers pointed up in front of his face. "Hidama Shihai Setsu!" Just before the chain hit, the fireball split in two and arced around the weapon.

Kudami gasped as they both slammed into him. His clothes caught fire and he tumbled down in the shockwave of the blast. His chain went limp as he splashed into the water and staggered to his feet. "Damn!"

The brunette landed in front of him with his first raised up and one knee lifted up to his abdomen. "You can't use that technique of yours when you're in the water, can you?"

The Kumo boy gasped as his eyes went wide. The Konoha ninja attacked, using his elbows and knees to repeatedly slam into his body. The unfortunate white haired boy was sent reeling and staggered in the wake of the blows. Genji took a step back and pulled his arm into what looked like an uppercut. "Kasai Senpuu!" He punched at the air between them, not even aiming at his opponent. A small flaming tornado about as tall as he was shot forward and slammed into the Kumo boy's body. Kudami was lifted off his feet and spun into the air in flames. He ended up tossed to the right after about a second and landed face first into the water.

Genji started to move towards him, but the boy was on his feet and dashed away. Kudami narrowly missed being kneed in the face by his opponent and Genji's knee crushed a large dent in one of the poles.

The brunette boy squeezed his eyes shut and hopped in place for a moment.

Kudami was up above the water again. "Bastard!" His chain whip became charged again as he tossed the kunai on the end at his enemy. "Get over here!"

Genji hopped out of the way and landed on one of the poles again. "Shit." He was being forced to run again as the chain whip sped after him. He'd really pissed the Kumo Genin off. He dashed through the poles and glanced over at his opponent. The chain was keeping him away from him and on the move. "Heh. He's not paying much attention." He started to dodge about from pole to pole and ended up landing between three of them after a few moments. The chain jerked at him, but stopped cold a few inches from his face. He smirked at it and looked up at the Kumo ninja. "Well, seems you're stuck." It was completely wrapped around the three poles he was standing between about four times and couldn't reach him.

Kudami snarled and looked quite smug again. "You think so?" He gripped the chain and jerked hard.

Genji got a little wide eyed. "Oh shit." The three poles surrounding him snapped off on their bases and closed in to crush him on three sides. He ran up the side of them, bouncing from pole to pole twice and landed on top of the three of them just before they closed on his ankle. He took a second to regard the close call and looked at where his opponent was positioned. "Heh." Rather than jump down, he shifted his weight towards the Kumo ninja.

Kudami almost dropped his whip as he realized what was going on. He tensed to move out of the way, but it was too late. Genji came down from above with the momentum of the falling pillars and elbowed him dead in the face.

The Kumo ninja ended up face down in the water with his weapon stuck and wrapped around the three logs. He was down and didn't get up.

Shi flipped him over. "The winner, Otori Genji."

The brunette boy crossed his arms and regarded his opponent. "Not bad."

Kudami was awake again and nodded. "Yeah. You're stronger than I though."

Genji offered his hand and lifted him to his feet. "You're just lucky you didn't get stuck with that brat Ino. She's a sadistic monster."

Both the gesture and the comment caught him off guard. "So, she's Konoha's strongest Genin then?"

The brunette nodded. "Don't tell her I said it, but that Hyuuga guy doesn't stand a chance. He's gonna get creamed."

Shi narrowed his eyes at the conversation but didn't say anything. Neither of them noticed as they moved towards the exit. There was a small staircase that lead to a hall that would take them back up to the observation deck. Kudami would have a nasty black eye, but he wasn't really hurt. "Ino? Who is that girl? Why can't I sense her? What is this?" He glanced up and noticed the Hokage was looking quite smug in her seat.

The Tsuchikage was looking on and seemed a bit bored. The Raikage seemed annoyed, but not that upset at the loss. Sahara was their strongest contender, but Genji was expected to be just a Konoha scrub. The only real fight they were expected to put up was the Hyuuga pair. The Yamanaka girl was a total upset, no one had been expecting it. She was fighting on a level far above Genin. She made him nervous, he couldn't feel anything from her. It was as if she wasn't there.

His eyes turned up to the box again. "What the?" He'd not noticed at all, but there were two ANBU standing behind the Hokage. Two more dead signatures, two more ninja with a presence he could not sense. "No way! This is..." It was dangerous is what it was. It was something the Raikage needed to know. Masking one's chakra was one thing, but hiding your presence in plain sight, in the middle of a fight no less, should not have been possible.

Regardless, it was something that would have to wait until the events were finished. He was anxious to see the Yamanaka girl's next match. He needed to be sure, but he'd not sensed her presence unless she used that Jutsu. That arm thing that had ripped the Hyuuga girl off her perch and tossed her. Not even when she was jumping about the sides of the pillars using the tree climbing jutsu.

Shi took his place on the suspended log again. "The next match will begin as soon as the participants are ready."

OooOOooOO

Ino smiled and slapped Genji on his shoulder. "Hey. Good job!"

He winced in pain as it was a little harder than it needed to be. "Yeah. Thanks."

Ryoji gave a nod at his opponent as he passed. "That guy was pretty strong. You're lucky."

The brunette boy frowned at him. "Hey. I won fair."

Ino seemed pleased. "Yeah. Maybe Sasuke will let you live now?" She looked towards the three Kage at the tiger masked boy. "He's so awesome!"

Tenten's match was up. She was fighting the green haired boy on Ayume's team. Ino leaned over the rail. "I hope she kicks his butt!"

The match wasn't anything special. Tenten was a skilled weapons user, and her opponent was of the same type, but with less experience. Both used summoning jutsu to conjure weapons, but Tenten was able to conjure a lot more, and was better able to use them. The match took about ten minutes as there was a lot of cover, but ended as the dark haired girl managed to get a kunai up to the boy's throat after ambushing him from behind one of the pillars.

Ino seemed pleased with the result. "Yeah! She's not bad. I'm so gonna kick her butt if we fight though."

Ryoji gave a small snort. "Whatever. I guess I'm up next." He moved by towards the entrance to the arena. His opponent was the other member of Ayume's team. Shi was waiting as they both moved out.

The dark haired boy nodded at his opponent after he bowed. "Never caught your name. I'm Hidori Ryoji."

His opponent nodded. "Udawa Kensuke. Shall we begin?" He was considerably smaller and thinner than his opponent.

The larger boy nodded and removed his mace. "Anytime you're ready." He seemed laid back and relaxed as he put the weapon on his shoulder.

The blue haired boy started forming hand seals. "Suiton Mizu no Tatsumaki!" The water below formed a small vortex that surrounded him.

Ryoji cocked his head. "Should have expected." He hefted his mace and slammed it down onto the log. The vibration was enough to send his opponent off the side of the foothold and into the water below. The larger boy hopped down with him.

Kensuke rolled aside to prevent being landed on and ended up crouched on one knee. "Well, thanks. I was wondering how I was going to get you down here."

His opponent didn't look worried. "I figured as much. Hand seals are slow, and you've got to keep your distance."

The blue haired Genin frowned. "You don't seem to be taking this seriously."

The larger Genin shrugged. "Does it seem that way?"

His opponent rushed forward at him. "Suiton: Suihachi!" He thrust his hand forward and a powerful jet of water blasted out of his palm.

Ryoji shifted to his right, and the attack ended up getting the side of one of the pillars wet. He reached around the log as the boy staggered to a stop, grabbed his shirt, and pulled his face into the side of the pillar from behind it. "You're pretty good at water Jutsu."

Kensuke was annoyed and staggered back clutching his nose. "It's my specialty." He performed a few more hand seals, or rather tried too.

His opponent rushed out from behind his cover as he started and swung his mace down. The blue haired boy managed to dodge the full force of the blow, but didn't realize that his enemy wasn't aiming for his head or body. There was a resounding crack, and his right wrist snapped. His hand went rather limp and he fell to his knees.

Ryoji was standing over him and put his mace on his shoulder. "I expected better. Oh well. Are you going to give up, or should I belt you over the head?"

Kensuke growled and balled up his fist as he glared at him. "I won't give up!" The larger boy arched his eyebrow and jumped back as he realized he was doing one handed seals.

The whirlwind of water technique he'd used before blasted around him creating a barrier. Inside Kensuke was performing more seals with his good hand.

Ryoji cursed and started dashing around the arena behind the pillars. "Shit." Balls of water were shooting from the wall of water that protected his opponent. He took a blow to the side and slid onto the ground on his belly.

Kensuke's barrier fell before he hit the ground and the boy was rushing at him with a kunai drawn. "I have you!"

The dark haired boy grunted and grabbed at something in the water. "Catch."

The blue haired Genin's eyes went wide as the three chain wrapped logs flew at him as Ryoji jerked the chain hard and threw them at him. He stood up looking on as the boy was pinned to the wall by the wood while holding his side. "Huh. I guess that's that." He walked up and lifted his mace over his head.

Shi's hand stopped him from giving the knockout blow. "That's enough. This is over. Hidori Ryoji is the winner."

The larger Genin relaxed and rubbed at his side in irritation. "Man, that's gonna leave a mark. He glanced over his shoulder to find Shi moving the logs out of the way as the medical team came to take him off and take care of his wrist. He wasn't really hurt otherwise, but looked displeased with his loss. Ryoji paused at the exit as they moved by him. "You shouldn't rely on hand seals so much. It puts you at a disadvantage."

"Shut up." Growled his opponent as he was led away.

Ryoji shrugged and moved back towards the observation deck. "Hey." He greeted his two teammates as he leaned against the wall. "What's up?"

Ino seemed pleased. "Hey. Good job. You kicked that guys butt. So, I guess you might get to live too."

The dark haired boy scowled. "He's not going to kill us. He might just beat us up or something. It's murder to kill us, not even he could get away with it. Stop posing."

The blond girl shrugged. "If you say so."

Genji glared towards the seated Kage. "I'm not willing to risk it, are you?"

His companion crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Like I'm going to lose on purpose or something. Don't worry about it. We'll be fine either way."

Ino gave a small sigh. "Whatever. Hey, Lee is up next. He's got that Kumo girl." She didn't know him, but he seemed nice enough. "Sasuke beat him in the last exams. I heard he's really strong."

Sahara gave a smirk as she moved by towards the arena. "He's about to lose again."

Shi was waiting for them and glanced at each of them as they approached. "All right. Ready to begin?"

Lee bowed. "I hope that it is a good match."

The girl lifted her nose. "Well, aren't we the polite little schoolboy? I hope you're ready to lose."

Rock Lee seemed a bit put off by her attitude. "I see. I shall not go easy on you because you are a woman. I respect both sexes, and you are my honorable opponent."

She returned the bow out of formality. "You'd better take me seriously. I'm the strongest Genin here. I will crush the Hyuuga boy, and anyone who stands in my way. For the honor of Kumogakure."

The boy in green put his hands up to prepare for the start. "For the honor of Konohagakure then, I shall give my best!"

Shi hopped back as usual. "Begin."

Lee rushed forward, but Sahara nimbly hopped over his head and bounced over to one of the nearby poles. The boy was less than surprised and kicked off his momentum to flip into the air and hack at her with another kick.

The girl ducked beneath it and gasped. "He's fast!" He landed below her and clung to the side of the pole face down.

She scowled down at him and looked confused. He pulled his knees up to his gut and pushed off bouncing from pole to pole building up speed. "What's he up too?" He was moving right at her, but about ten feet below towards her foothold. She hopped out of the way, and Lee hooked a kick that split the pole in two sending the top half of it into the water. He shifted his aim again and launched himself at her next foothold. "I see. He's pretty strong." Rather than continue to break the footholds she hopped down into the water pool and landed on top of it.

Lee followed and slid to a stop on his knees, sending a spray of water that arced and fell into the pool just in front of her toes. She smirked at him. "You intend to keep me dry then? How cute."

The boy raised his fists as he stood upright. "There is no need to be rude in this fight."

Sahara chuckled with her arms crossed in front and a relaxed pose as she stood on the surface of the water. "Chivalrous, how quaint. My, you are quite the specimen. I wonder, what it is that you fear?"

The boy did not move forward and looked confused. "Pardon?" His hands fell a little as he seemed to realize that she was not going to attack him. "It seems I must initiate this battle."

The girl pulled her hand up to her eye patch as he charged and flipped over him, kicking off his shoulders and landing behind him as he shattered a portion of the wall of the arena. He remained extended in his punch for a moment and looked over his shoulder. "She's quite nimble." She wasn't as fast as him, but seemed to use precise timing to evade his strikes. "It seems I must try harder, I cannot let up. My speed is a clear advantage."

The girl had her eye patch in her hand and her left eye was close. "No. It doesn't matter." She opened it revealing a completely red eye. "Areno Osore."

Lee tensed up as his gaze caught the eye. "What? Genjutsu!" Hands of water reached up and latched onto his legs and arms. It was not the girl before him, but his Master. "Gai....sensei..."

The man was frowning at him. Not just any frown, but a frown of severe disappointment. "Lee, you've failed. Worse, you've severely disappointed me!"

The boy gasped in shock as his jaw dropped. "No! I...I didn't! I did my best!"

Gai shook his head. "I see now I was wrong about you. Even your best is not good enough. It will never be good enough. You've failed, you're a failure, I am ashamed that I am your teacher."

Tears fell down his eyes as he fell to his knees. There was no more water around him, just sand. A vast open landscape with the sun beating down upon him. "What is this? How could I have failed? I do not understand!" He looked at his hands, the skin was starting to flake off as it became gray and dried. "What? No! I...this isn't..."

"Real?" A familiar voice chuckled. "I'm afraid that it is. You'll never win." Neji was looking down at him with a smirk on his face. "Just give up. You've already failed. Admit defeat."

He fell to his palms and gripped the sand between his fingers. "Failed? I...No! I would never give up! I won't fail Gai sensei! If he will not accept me, I'll work doubly hard, until I have redeemed myself! Even if it kills me! I shall never give up!" He stood tall and balled up his fist. "I shall not lose!"

He blinked. All around him was the arena again, he was ankle deep in the water with a fallen log at his side.

"I'm afraid you already have." He went tense as he felt something at his throat. Sahara was behind him with her weapon pointed at his jugular. "You've got a strong body, and an admirable will, but anyone can be easily distracted with their own worst fear."

Shi looked on from just above them. "That's enough. Sahara wins."

The Raikage smirked and settled in his seat with his chest puffed out. Tsunade glanced down at him and seemed surprised.

Lee's head slumped down. "Drat. I lose again."

The girl shifted her hips and left the arena. He followed after her and slumped down near to Neji and Tenten. "I lose again. I've failed again."

Gai put his hand on his shoulder. "That's all right. I know you gave your best. I would never reject you that way."

Lee blinked and looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Gai...sensei?"

"Don't worry Lee, you'll train even harder, and succeed! The Energy of Youth cannot be destroyed by only a few simple setbacks. Just work hard, and you'll succeed in your goals!"

Lee rushed into his arms in tears. "Yes! I'll train twice as hard Gai sensei! I'll succeed for sure!"

Neji was flushed and looking away. "You idiot. You were screaming all that nonsense at the top of your lungs. Everyone heard you."

Tenten looked confused. "What happened? You just froze up."

Gai scowled. "It seems Kumo has managed to revive a lost Jutsu. The Manako No Reikan, or 'Eye of the Soul'. Areno Osore, or 'Desert of Fear' is one of the techniques it allows the one who possesses it to use. It's an eye Jutsu, and the clan that once held the secret to this technique was a great rival of the Hyuuga clan during the Second Great Shinobi War. It was thought they were all killed. I do not know how they managed to revive this technique."

Neji growled and balled up his fist. "Manako No Reikan?" He glared over at the Kumo girl. "That's...impossible. The Hyuuga destroyed it. How did Kumo manage to revive it?"

Gai looked over at him. Lee had a serious frown on his face. "What does it matter? They have, and it's not all that surprising or impossible. We all know they have been very interested in studying eye jutsu since the end of the last war. The Hyuuga and Uchiha clan were ferocious and feared by them. Now, it appears they have recovered one of their own that was once lost to them."

Yugao spoke up from behind him. "Agreed. A very interesting development, but hardly of any consequence. The Hyuuga clan's Byakugan was clearly superior. They destroyed them."

Gai shook his head. "They very nearly destroyed each other. The Hyuuga would not have won that clash without the aid of the Uchiha clan. This is something we must remember. The Manako No Reikan allows for very powerful Genjutsu, and is not to be taken lightly."

Ino was listening in nearby. "Huh. That's interesting. She's pretty strong then?"

Yugao looked over her shoulder at her and nodded. "So it would seem. I don't know much about it."

Gai frowned. "Nor do I. I took an interest in the History of the Shinobi Wars after the end of the Third. It is a little unsettling, but I doubt we should consider it a threat at the moment. It is something we should be mindful of when dealing with Kumogakure in the future."

Neji scowled at her. "You don't have time to worry about her, and neither do I. I hope you've made your preparations, because the end of your life has come." He turned away from the group and moved towards the arena.

Ino scowled and followed after him. "You jerk. Just shut the hell up. I'm gonna kick your sorry butt!"

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Second Round!


	39. Chapter 39

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

Part 39

Ino's Exam: Conclusion!

OooOOooOO

Yamanaka Ino frowned at Neji as he stood across from her with an expressionless face. He stepped back and put his hands up with a scowl on his face without bowing. She did the same and Shi's face fell a little as he noticed it. He crouched on the highest log nearby. "Begin."

The girl hopped back as the boy charged with his fists balled up. She kicked at his face and was blocked by his forearm. He punched at her and she shifted back to avoid it, taking the opportunity to put her knuckles into his ribs.

The boy grunted in irritation at the shot but spun into a backhanded strike at her face. Ino smirked as she hopped back away from him and landed lightly. It seemed his plan was to train in a hard style, he'd abandoned the Gentle Fist and was using straightforward Taijutsu.

The Hyuuga boy charged at her and tried to jump into a knee strike at her chest, but she simply crossed her arms and then pushed off the strike over his head.

He spun around and frowned at the girl as she stood waiting for him with her hands up. He didn't move towards her and pulled a kunai out of his clothes. Rather than rush her again, he jumped off the side and spun around tossing three of the weapons while keeping one in his grip at the underside of the log.

Ino was below, having replaced herself with a clone as soon as she'd gone out of his line of sight. She was forced to jump down and landed on one of the logs as the three weapons planted themselves in the wood.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You might be able to hide from the Byakugan, but I can still 'see' when you use chakra." Neji landed opposite her and pulled his weapon up. "That means you still have it, and you must use it to do some things, and when you do, you're vulnerable."

Ino gasped as she fell to one knee. She rubbed at her belly and growled. She could feel small bruises on her side. "What? He?" He'd managed to get her while she was passing over his head. "Smug prick. So, I can't get near him when I'm using chakra then."

The white eyed boy jumped at her while slashing with his weapon. She jumped away and bounced off the sides of the poles around the arena. They clashed a few times and Ino shook her wrist after her kunai flew away as they impacted a final time near the edge of the battleground.

The pair landed across from each other in the water, Neji on top if it, and Ino was ankle deep. The girl chuckled. "Afraid of getting your toes wet?"

The boy frowned. "The water slows you down."

She tossed her hair and put her hand on her hip. "You've not caught me yet, have you?"

He glared at her and lowered his head a little. "You won't be so smug once I do." He jumped at her with two more kunai.

Ino jumped into a back flipping kick that nailed him in his chin. He reacted to the strike as if he expected it, flipped and waved his arms sending the sharp projectiles at her. The blond ducked under them and shifted to the side a little. Neji threw another as he landed and she hit one of the posts with her shoulder as she dodged it.

The Hyuuga boy rushed forward again and punched her, catching her cheek. The blond girl's head turned from the strike, but she still managed to duck under the follow up strike as he clutched yet another knife in his grip and hacked a line into the wood.

The ANBU girl slid her leg out and tried to sweep his feet sending an arc of water up as she did so. He hopped over both, kicked off the log and landed on the side of one opposite them with his arms crossed while scowling at her.

Ino looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "What's he up to?" She started to move towards him and he flipped off the side over her hand and landed behind her.

The girl was forced to turn and block a flurry of punches and kicks. The pair pushed apart a moment later and Neji once again pulled out another Kunai.

Ino frowned at that. He was using an awful lot of them. More than he should have been able to carry. She'd seen Tenten fight, and it dawned on her that he knew a summoning jutsu for the weapon. "So he's not going to run out. Great." It didn't bother her, but it was a little annoying to realize it. She wasn't having that much trouble keeping him at bay.

Neji charged again, she wasn't attacking him and seemed to be keeping her distance. "Still trying to figure out what to do?"

The blond Genin shifted to the side and gave him a hard shot to his ribs as they passed while dodging a couple of slashes in the process. "Not really." She had one of her own in her hand and it's tip was red.

The boy clutched at his side at the shallow slash and a slice in his shirt. He looked up at her. "So, you're finally taking this seriously are you?"

She had her back to him and looked over her shoulder. "You make it sound like I wasn't before."

The pair darted amongst the poles. Neji was tossing Kunai at her, but she dodged with considerable skill, and managed to knock a few out of the air with her own. Most of his projectiles impacted on the wooden posts that surrounded them.

After knocking three of the knives out of the air with fast swipes, she gasped as he rammed into her side and knocked her off her feet into the water. As he staggered from the blow he slashed at her as she fell away from him. Her sleeve was cut wide open and a red line appeared on her arm above her tattoo. It was a shallow cut, but it stung a bit. Her weapon clattered away and she kicked herself onto her feet before he recovered from knocking her over.

He charged at her and stabbed. She didn't move and punched him dead in the face. He flew back and landed in the water on his back. The blonde girl landed opposite him and lifted her fists. She opened her forward hand and beckoned him. If she couldn't use chakra to beat him, she knew damn well she outclassed him in hand to hand.

Neji snarled as he picked himself up and rushed forward. He punched and kicked at her a few times, but she responded with a competent counter each time, kneeing him in the belly, hooking her fist across his jaw, and elbowing him in the forehead before leaping into the air, planting both feet into his chest and spinning off into a flip where she launched four kunai at him in the apex.

The dark haired boy managed to roll aside. He had his hand up to his chest and was gasping for air as he glared at her. She tossed her ponytail and prepared herself again, beckoning him towards her with her hand again.

He pulled out another weapon and narrowed his eyes. He had to force her to use her chakra. He rushed forward and she moved to meet him. Rather than attack when they met, he spun and went into the Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin. Ino slid to a stop and back flipped away from impacting against the side of it. She shifted back defensively and narrowed her eyes.

Neji stood in a small crater from the attack and panted as he held his hands up again. There were kunai between each of his fingers.

The blond girl narrowed her eyes. "What the hell is he up too?"

The young Hyuuga jumped into the air and crossed his arms. "Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Rain!"

Ino's eyes went wide. "Oh shit." She dove and rolled behind one of the pillars as about twenty kunai shot out of the sphere in her direction. He landed and his spinning stopped. He turned to give her a vicious looking smirk as he realized he had her on the defensive again.

The blond girl was frustrated and annoyed with him. There were at least five kunai impaled on the other side of her cover, and about ten more on each side of it. She'd never seen him fight before, and his defense was very good. She stepped out of her cover and put her hand on her hip. "Not bad."

He nodded at her. "I wasn't expecting you to last this long."

She narrowed her eyes and grinned. "Then you're an idiot."

Neji frowned at that. "Don't get cocky." He had another set of kunai ready to go in his grip, and she was moving away from nearby cover into an open area.

She shook her head. "You just don't get it do you? My training is far beyond yours. You're not going to win, and I already know how I'm going to beat you."

The dark haired boy jumped up again. "Just die! Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Rain!"

Ino didn't move and pulled her arm back. "Shintente!" An eerie looking arm of glowing blue chakra shot out and slammed into his defensive ball palm first. Her new technique was a more localized variant of the Shintenshin using chakra manipulation to make it more solid. It slammed the ball that was shooting out kunai into the side of the wall as if driving in a nail with the palm.

"Idiot." The girl looked up at the resulting hole with a smirk on her face.

Neji staggered out and gripped the sides of the circular hole that resulted from the impact. It was about three feet deep and big enough for him to stand in. He didn't look hurt, but it was obvious it hadn't felt very good. He turned his eyes towards her and looked pretty upset.

She tossed her hair. "So do something about it then."

He nodded once. "I intend to."

"Nah, I've had enough of this. It's time for it to end." Neji gasped as he glanced over his shoulder. The clone Ino had made at the start of the match was behind him with handfuls of kunai, her counterpart was in the same position opposite him. They both jumped back and up while tossing about fifteen at him at once.

He had no cover or way to avoid the wide spread, and no choice but to resort to his defensive Heavenly Spin again.

As soon as he started Ino's glowing blue arm appeared from her shoulder again. It grabbed the chained pillars still against the wall from Ryoji's match and brought them down on top of the ball. A large circular gouge was carved into the wood leaving Neji unharmed. He'd also stopped spinning and floundered for a moment looking like he'd been knocked around a bit. The white eyed boy tried to pull himself out of the hole in the logs. His eyes went wide and he screamed in pain as he found a kunai pinning his hand to the wood the moment he touched it. Before the sound finished escaping his lips his head was tilted back and two very sharp objects were poking against his spine at the base of his neck.

Both Ino and her clone were gasping for breath, holding his chin up with kunai knives and each pointing another into his back. He couldn't move to face them because his hand was pinned to the wood.

Shi landed in front of him. "Enough. Yamanaka Ino is the winner." He pulled the kunai pinning the boy's hand in place out.

Neji was shocked. "I...lost? Again? To...that girl?"

Ino glanced over her shoulder at him as her clone vanished. "Don't look so surprised. You should have known better than to think you could beat me."

The boy hung his head. He'd been overpowered. He'd tired to compensate for the weakness of his style by branching out to a harder style and learning a seal to summon kunai. He never had a shot of catching up to her, and hadn't been able to force her to release her chakra while he was close enough to get to her after the first time. He'd been outmaneuvered, by Yamanaka Ino. It shouldn't have been possible. He turned his eyes up to the box seats where the delegates looked on. "What the?"

Naruto was sitting amongst his three guards. He was also disguised as a woman for some reason. It was easy to pick him out because of his black forehead protector. That wasn't what had surprised him though. He could see him, really see him. His chakra was flowing through his body and he looked down at him with a smirk on his face and gave him an nod. He didn't know it, but Naruto had noticed Shi's reaction to Ino at the start of her first match, and realized he was a chakra sensor. As a result, he allowed some chakra to flow through him. He didn't unleash his full chakra, but it was enough to make his presence noticeable to anyone who might be able to sense chakra nearby.

The Hyuuga boy looked at his hand as a medical nin ushered him out of the arena. He'd never seen Naruto that way before, and it was odd. "What is it?" They weren't just hiding it, because the Gentle Fist still effected those who could disguise their chakra. "How? What is it? I don't get it?" It was as if it wasn't there at all, but it was obvious they still had it. They could use it when they needed to it seemed, and they weren't dead. Yet somehow, it was as if they were empty, dead, and without Chakra.

Naruto was sitting and looked like any of the other delegates. He could see his chakra lines as clearly as anyone else's. The young Jounin hadn't looked smug when he'd looked down on him. In fact, he seemed pleased, and not just with Ino. It was confusing. He had no idea what to make of it, but one thing was obvious. They weren't just hiding their chakra. Somehow, Naruto had discovered a way to seal it up and release it at will without killing himself, and he'd taught his teammates how to do it as well.

The Kumo nin looked down at him. "Get what?"

Neji frowned at him. "It's none of your business." It was very interesting, but he had no idea what to make of it. It shouldn't have been possible. Sealing up one's own chakra completely would kill someone. He'd seen examples of those who had died using up all their chakra or having it cut off completely. Somehow, Team Seven had figured out how to do just that and survive. It was insane, as much as Hinata's Vampire story was, maybe even a little more.

OooOOooOO

Ryoji frowned as he glanced over at Ino. "Congratulations."

Genji agreed and neither looked particularly surprised at the outcome of the battle. "Yeah. Not bad."

Yugao smiled in greeting. "Well done. You're doing very well."

The blond girl nodded. "I'd better. I'd rather die than fail. That jerk will make me wish I'd died if I don't."

Rock Lee was looking at her with and uncomfortable confusion about him. "She...beat him?"

Gai nodded. "So it would seem. Though it pains me to say it, I admit I'm relieved. Neji is my student, but I did not wish to see anyone die today. Though, I also do not believe Neji truly wished to harm her."

His student nodded. "I see, he went easy on her then."

Tenten glanced back at him. "No, he didn't."

Lee jerked in mild surprise. "What?"

Gai put his hand on his young green clad student's shoulder. "She is correct. Neji fought his hardest, but he could not overcome her advanced level of training."

The bowl cut boy seemed confused. "What do you mean? Training? Her training is advanced?"

Tenten looked a bit out of it. She was looking over at the blond girl. "What? Wait a minute. I've seen that mark before." Her eyes were locked on the girl's now exposed upper arm. Ino was poking at the cut above a very familiar mark and looked frustrated at the damage to her clothes. She wouldn't have noticed, but Ino was drawing attention to it by rubbing on it and putting some sort of salve on the cut. "No way! She's...it can't be. She's just a Genin! There's no way."

The green clad boy furrowed his great and powerful eyebrows as he glanced over at where she was looking. "Huh? What do..." He gasped as he spotted it. "ANBU? She's an ANBU?"

The girl in Chinese clothes looked a bit annoyed. "No way. It can't be. She's not even a Chunin. Besides, her team..." She paused and looked up at where the two ANBU guarding the Hokage were standing. "What the?" It had just come back to her that they seemed very interested in hearing about Naruto while on the way to the finals. Neither one had spoken the whole trip, and both were in full uniform with masks. "Wait. Don't tell me, that's Sakura and Sasuke up there with the Hokage?"

Neji snorted as he walked up. His hand was bandaged and he frowned at them both. "Of course it is. Naruto is an ANBU Captain. You heard the Hokage. He's Team Seven's Jounin. If they're still on his team, all of them are ANBU. Don't tell me you only figured that out just now? It should be obvious."

Tenten flushed. "What? No way. There's no such thing as a Genin ANBU." She glanced over at Ino again and she had adjusted her clothes to cover her tattoo.

Neji went quiet and looked out over the arena. He moved away to lean against the wall on his own and ignored their reactions.

Lee got a little more wide eyed. "Sakura? She's here?"

Gai scowled a little. "That's enough. We should not speak of it. ANBU wear masks for a reason. They have no reason to hide their faces at home, but we are not in Konohagakure."

His green clad student looked up at him and flushed. "I was not aware. I would have tried to speak with her had I known."

His master looked down at him. "It is best of you do not. She has a duty to perform, and is not permitted to speak with any but the Hokage. Lee, be aware, their training is beyond any I have been permitted to give you. I admit I worried some for the outcome, but I must also admit that it was less than a surprise. I think the best of all my students, you are all full of spirit and youth. However, Yamanaka Ino has endured more than you might think in the path of her training. She is not someone to take lightly, and no Genin should be expected to be a match for her." He looked over at her. "I must admit, her success has surprised me. I did not expect her to endure such advanced training. Uzumaki was less than a surprise, but his teammate's ability to endure such a thing is a testament to his skills as a leader. Kakashi has surpassed my expectations as a teacher. Fitting for my greatest rival, yet somehow still surprising."

Tenten glanced over at where Ino was standing with her team. "She's...really strong." Ino had done more than impress her, she was worried. The girl had beaten Neji without much difficulty. She was far beyond the ability she'd displayed in the last exams. She knew Sakura and Sasuke were both Chunin, them being ANBU wasn't much of a surprise. She'd never considered Ino might be one as well because she knew she was a Genin.

"Hmmm. She's impressive."

The dark haired girl gasped as she glanced over to see the white haired Kumo girl standing next to her. "What?"

Sahara had a confident smirk on her face. "That Ino girl. I was hoping to fight one of the Hyuuga, but this is even more interesting."

Tenten was in no mood to talk. "You've got to get through me first."

The dark skinned girl didn't seem very worried. "Well, one of us is going to fight her, and you don't look much like you're looking forward to it. Feeling a bit inadequate?" She slipped by. "Don't worry so much. You won't make it that far."

The dark haired girl blushed. She was riled a little, but jumpy. "Shit. Calm down, Tenten. You can do this."

Lee was looking out over the arena. They were cleaning up a bit of the debris from the last match and replacing a couple of the poles. The damage to the arena was more than was expected, and the broken remains of the chained logs from Ino and Neji's battle were being removed.

A girl's voice he didn't know spoke up. "Hello."

The boy turned his head and found the Kumo kunoichi looking at him. He flushed a bit and looked like he didn't want to say anything.

"You're kind of cute in an odd way." The girl smirked and crossed her arms under her chest lifting her breasts up a little as she did it. "Lee was it?"

He looked at her with a confused expression. "What?"

She shrugged. "I'm impressed. Too bad you're not from around here. I might have to start chasing you if you were."

The boy went rigid and she giggled at it a little. "Well...I...uh..."

Tenten stepped up to her side. "What are you doing?"

Sahara glanced over her shoulder at the girl. "Flirting. Your friend is kind of cute. Too bad I can't keep him."

Rock Lee had no idea what to do or say and just froze up. "I...huh?"

His teammate's jaw dropped. "Lee? Cute?"

The Kumo girl cocked her head and smirked at his reaction. "Sure. He's not bad looking, in really good shape, he's very well mannered, and..." Her eyes went a little soft as she looked over at Tenten. "His worst fear is letting the people he cares about down. That's more impressive than you think. I doubt what you're afraid of is as noble as that. We'll find out though, won't we?" She leaned up and kissed the confused boy on his cheek causing him to turn very red. "See you. Who knows, maybe we'll meet again one day?"

Tenten seemed frozen in shock as the dark skinned girl almost skipped away. "What? That...tramp." She was annoyed and balled up her fists as the Kumo nin walked off.

Lee had tears in his eyes as he clenched his fist. "Oh! Why must I be so adorable? Curse these devilish good looks!" He had his heart set on another already, and could not give up. Though, the temptation was strong, he would not back down. "Sakura! Please forgive me! These thoughts shall not go unpunished! I shall train doubly hard to gain your forgiveness! Five hundred laps, a thousand punches, a thousand kicks, and dare I say it, three hundred squat thrusts!"

Tenten looked rather disgusted. She paused as Gai put his hand on her shoulder. "Tenten. Do not forget what I have taught you."

She paused in mild surprise. "Huh?" After a moment she nodded. "What do you mean Gai sensei?"

The man looked very serious. "Bloodline Eyes can be very dangerous. The Genjutsu they can produce are very strong."

She became serious as well, forgetting about Lee for a moment. "Right. Don't look her in the eye."

The man nodded. "Yes. It could mean the difference between victory and defeat. You must not let her catch your eyes, keep yours down and focus on her feet."

His kunoichi nodded. "I won't forget. No way I can let that brat beat me. Honestly, Lee? Cute? Gross!"

Rock Lee was still steeling his will. "I shall not forgive or forget! I shall not submit to temptation! I shall work hard, and ensure my heart remains true!"

Gai looked quite pleased and let his teeth sparkle as he gave the boy a thumbs up. "Don't worry Lee. It's natural for a woman to appreciate such youthful energy! You should train hard, but don't think too much of this."

Yugao and Ino were both doing their best to not look at the rather noisy group. "What the hell is wrong with that team?" grumbled the girl.

"Gai is just weird. Don't worry about it. It's best to just ignore him." She gave a small sigh and put her hand up to her forehead. "I don't know how Kakashi can put up with it."

"Men." muttered Ino as she leaned over the railing. "Hey, looks like we're starting again."

Tenten and Sahara were moving towards the arena. Both looked firm and serious as they took their places on the log.

OooOOooOO

Sahara gave the dark haired girl across from her a cool gaze as they both bowed. Shi signaled the start of the match, and Tenten moved to strike first. The Konoha nin started tossing weapons as she jumped out on top of the standing pillars.

The red eyed Kumo girl simply stood in place and shifted herself about as they passed around her. "Hmm, very accurate."

Tenten growled as she paused and realized the girl had not been forced off the log. She'd moved her arms and legs, and shifted her back a few times to dodge her weapons. "What the?"

Sahara put her hand on her hip. "Don't tell me you've given up already?"

The dark haired girl frowned. "Not on your life."

This time, the Kumo girl jumped out across from her onto one of the pillars and crouched. "Come on then. Let's make this interesting." She was trying to catch her gaze, but the girl kept her eyes away from hers. "Clever girl."

Tenten pulled a couple of large shuriken from behind her back using seals and tossed them both. The white haired girl jumped off her perch and clung to the side. One passed over her, and the other impacted in the side of the wood. She pushed off and flipped back bouncing between two of them into the water and landed on top of it.

Tenten just jumped straight down, throwing more weapons in her decent. None of them connected as her opponent twisted in the air to dodge them all with minimal movement. "What the hell?"

Sahara smirked as she shifted her hips and stood in the open out of cover. "I can see where your weapon is going to land before it leaves your hand." Her eye allowed her to see in what would seem like slow motion and allowed her what appeared as superhuman reflexes. As a result it allowed her to dodge projectiles and strikes with minimal movement.

Tenten clutched a pair of kunai in her grip and sent a hail of shuriken at her opponent. Sahara bent and took a step to the side, slipping into an opening in the spread and snapped her hand up to grip her opponent's forearm before she was stabbed. The white haired girl shifted her head back to avoid a slash and pushed the other hand throwing her momentum off and forcing her to lose her balance. While Tenten was reeling, she put a swift kick into her kidney and forced the dark haired girl back clutching her side.

Sahara chuckled as her opponent took up a defensive posture. "What's the matter? Afraid to look me in the eye?"

The girl in Chinese clothes gave a rough snort. "I'm not that stupid. I know how that trick of yours works."

The white haired girl nodded. "Yes, but you don't seriously think that it's the only thing I've got up my sleeve?" She put up her palm and her eye glowed red. "Desert Wind Blast!" There was a gold gray swirl of something over her palm and she blew into it hard.

Tenten gasped as she jumped to the side as a massive blast of what she now knew to be sand shot forward. The side of the pillar next to her was stripped down and sand blasted into a deep gouge. She cried out in pain as she barely managed to move aside and ended up with what looked like road rash on her left leg and forearm. "Damn."

Sahara hopped up onto the side of one of the shorter pillars and climbed on top of it. She was forced to hang off the bottom side as another hail of shuriken from below her peppered her perch. "Heh. Desert Reflection Glare!" Her eye glowed red as she glared down at the water below.

Tenten looked at her feet as the heat of the sun's rays intensified. "What the?" There was a haze forming and her feet were growing hot. "No way!" The water in the arena was starting to boil, and steam was clouding up the air. She could still see her opponent above it though and bounced up the log towards her. "I won't lose!"

"Reflection of Fear!"

Tenten gasped as the steam in front of her became a pinkish red. "Wha?" Her eyes glazed over as she fell to her knees in the hot water. She screamed in pain and the red haze dissipated as she jumped to her feet. Before she was able to turn around, there was a kunai at her throat.

Shi landed next to them. "That's enough. It's over."

The dark haired girl hung her head. "What happened? I..."

"I forced you to look into the heart of fear for a moment." Her opponent put her weapon away. "The hot water scalding you kept me from getting a good hold, but it was enough to distract you and make the final play."

Tenten looked shocked and gasped. "The steam. You...reflected the genjutsu off the steam?"

Sahara smiled at her. "Well, I have to admit, Konoha has impressed me. You're clever to have figured that out."

The dark haired girl nodded once and turned away. "I see. Well, I guess Kumo has impressed me too. Maybe we'll meet again, I'll be much stronger if we do."

Sahara moved off towards the exit. "You wouldn't be much of a ninja if you weren't. Perhaps we'll meet on friendlier terms next time?"

Tenten's frown faded, but she didn't smile. "Then again, maybe not." She was aware that while they weren't really enemies, the next time they ran into each other, they just might be. She had to get stronger, and she had to be ready. She looked up at Ino and frowned. "I guess it's up to her." She walked and thought to herself as she made her way back to the observation deck. As she passed by Ino, she paused and looked at her. "Don't lose."

The blond girl gave her a serious looking nod. "I won't."

Genji and Ryoji glanced at her and said nothing.

The brunette boy gave a heavy sigh. "Well, one of us is going to have to fight her."

Ryoji crossed his arms and frowned a bit. "Couldn't we just draw straws?"

The pair moved off towards the arena, where Shi was already waiting for the next contestants.

Both boys stood on the log and bowed as soon as they were in place. Shi was off to the side again, picking a more stable log than his last perch. Half of it had been sand blasted away. He signaled the start. "Begin."

Ryoji pulled his mace off his back and slammed it into the side of the log again. Genji jumped off blowing into his palms and creating a ball of fire.

The larger boy narrowed his eyes at this and waited as his opponent landed and tossed it at him. Rather than dodge, he swung his mace like a baseball bat. The ball of flame shot back towards Genji, who raised his hands and caused it to split before it reached him.

Ryoji was already on the move though. He landed in the water and hacked his mace at his rival's perch. Genji tried to jump off before it toppled, but the vibration from the strike forced him to lose his balance and he ended up clinging to the side of another log after a clumsy hop.

The larger boy didn't miss a beat and slammed his mace into the base of it, shaking his opponent off. Genji fell with another ball of flame in his hands and tossed it down before he landed.

Once again, Ryoji didn't step aside or dodge and batted it back up into his face. Genji was forced to split it, but doing it left him open. He landed belly first into Ryoji's elbow with his hands still in the seal to control his projectile. The wind was knocked out of him, and the larger boy flipped him on his back and put his mace up against his throat. "I win."

Genji narrowed his eyes. "Did you?"

The dark haired boy nodded. "Yup." The log he'd knocked his opponent off of fell over and blocked the two fireballs that had turned around and made for his back in mid air. It landed with a large splash in the pool behind them.

Genji gave a sour frown and nodded. "I guess you did."

Shi landed next to them and confirmed it. "It's over. That's enough."

Ryoji was already putting his weapon away. "I guess that's that."

The brown haired boy popped his neck and accepted his opponent's hand. "I don't envy you. Now you've got to fight that hellish beast."

The dark haired boy furrowed his brow. "You didn't lose on purpose did you?"

He grinned and shrugged. "I might have tried a bit harder if I didn't know what winning would get me."

Rather than return to the observation deck, Ryoji hopped up to the log. Shi made sure Genji moved out of the arena, but since the boy was pretty much unhurt, he just stood and watched with his arms crossed until he reached the exit. After that, he hopped up beside the larger of the pair. "The next match will begin as soon as the opponent arrives. Yamanaka Ino and Hidori Ryoji."

The boy closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I concede."

Shi looked back at him. "What?"

Ryoji shrugged. "I give up."

The Jounin seemed surprised. "You're not injured. Are you sure?"

The dark haired boy nodded. "Sure. Do you really think I'd win? Come on. Besides, we all know everyone wants to see the next match anyway. It would just be a pointless waste of time. I've come as far as I can, and there's nothing to lose in stepping aside for the fight everyone really wants to see anyway." He hopped down and made for the exit before anything else could be said on the matter.

After a moment, the proctor nodded. "Very well. We'll move on to the next match then."

Sahara and Ino were already standing in the entrances to the arena. The blond girl was giving the exit a small frown as she moved off and looked a bit confused. "What got into him?"

Sahara popped her neck. "He knew his limits. Are you prepared?"

Ino looked her in the eyes. "No point in putting it off. Let's get this over with."

The white haired girl seemed pleased. "I knew I'd be in the final round, but I wasn't expecting to face you here. Who are you? No one knows the name Yamanaka. I must say, you're quite the surprise."

The blond girl frowned a little at that. "My family is well known. The legendary ninja team, Ino/Shika/Cho is one Kumo should remember."

Sahara seemed a little surprised. "Never cared much for cards. I care even less for history. All I know, is that you are all that stands between me and total victory. Prepare yourself."

The blond growled. "You'll not forget my name again. You'll remember me as the one who defeated you!"

They both bowed. Shi rolled his eyes a little at the posturing. "Begin."

Sahara stepped back and put her hands up, Ino did the same. The blond girl was looking her dead in the eyes. The white haired girl smirked at that. "What is it you're afraid of?" Her eye glowed as her stare intensified.

Ino's lips turned down a little. "Like I'd tell you." She rushed forward and punched at her.

The Kumo nin gasped and took a blow to her cheek. She staggered back once and flipped to avoid the next strike. As the white haired kunoichi landed, she blocked two more strikes, a knee and a fist. With a low growl she gazed into the girl's eyes.

Ino's return glare was full of fire and she pushed against her. Sahara stood her ground and pushed back, locking their forearms together as they pushed against one another. Ino broke first and swept at her feet forcing her off the log and onto one of the pillars.

Sahara had her open palm up and looked frustrated. "What the hell?" She knew she had her gaze, and she should have been paralyzed in the grip of her genjutsu. "Fine then! Desert Wind Blast!"

Ino moved to the sides, both sides as a pair of her appeared moving in either direction as the blast passed between them. The center of the overhanging log was blasted out of existence and it collapsed into the arena. Both Ino and her clone jumped off the opposite edges and landed on top of pillars to either side of the dark skinned girl.

Sahara glanced to either side and moved down onto the sides of the pillars as the pair of blond girls started lobbing kunai at her. She bounced off the sides, and managed to fed them both off on her way down. They bounced around like pachinko balls through the pillars on the way down. Sahara's timing keeping her unscathed by the two blond kunoichi's passes.

They both landed in the water, Ino ankle deep once again, and Sahara on top of the water. The white haired girl charged again, and kicked at her opponent.

Ino grunted as she took a shot to the jaw and belly. Her blocks seeming just a tad to slow to keep up. After a moment and a few hard blows, she broke off and kept pillars between them. "Damn. She's too fast."

Sahara had a confident looking smirk on her face. "I don't understand why the Desert of Fear isn't working, but she's open to direct attack." She sped up just enough to move around one of the logs in front of the girl and made to punch her in the face. A blow from behind her right between her shoulder blades threw her off balance and forced her to miss though.

Ino was waiting and tried to plant her knee into her chin. The white haired Kumo girl managed to bring up her arms and block the strike, but still landed in the water and rolled aside. "Shit. I forgot about the other one."

There were two of Ino moving towards her as she regained her feet and they attacked together. Sahara kept up, and dodged with what seemed like unnatural skill. The three of them clashed and battered each other. Sahara grabbed the side of one of the logs and flung herself around the side, putting both feet into the face of one of them. The blond flew away, hit one of the pillars back first, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

The red eyed girl turned and smirked. "So, you're the real one then?" She started to run at her. The blond seemed to take up a defensive posture and waited.

Rather than slam into her in a full assault, the white haired kunoichi grunted the shock of a strong blow to her back just as she reached her and landed face first in the water. "What the?" She looked up over her shoulder and found herself pinned to the ground.

Ino looked very confident on top of the pillar just above her with a giant glowing blue arm protruding from her left shoulder holding her opponent down against the ground. The other one had jumped up and was holding a pair of kunai over her head ready to end the match. The red eyed girl snarled as her eye flashed with a bright light. "Solar Flare!"

Both of the blond girl's were taken by surprise and shielded their eyes from the intense blinding light. The one diving at her rolled off to the side, while the other staggered and lost her balance on her perch.

Sahara rolled to her feet free of the girl's strange jutsu with a kunai in her grip. The clone vanished in a puff of smoke as she moved by and made to intercept the falling girl before she hit the water. "It's over!"

Ino was falling back first from the tallest perch still standing in the arena, about twenty feet up. Just before they clashed right above the water, the blond girl rolled over in the air.

Sahara gasped as her jaw dropped as she tried to skid to a halt. It was too late though.

"Rasengan!"

The red eyed kunoichi was tossed to the side as the ball exploded as it hit the ground. She managed to avoid a direct hit, but the resulting blast and spray of water tossed her onto her side and sent her rolling. Rather than land, Ino was tossed up again by the blast and shifted her weight using the momentum of the strike to throw her towards her opponent.

Sahara looked up with wide eyes with her arms spread wide as Ino landed on her chest with two kunai crossed over her throat. They looked each other dead in the eyes and gasped for breath. Yamanaka was worn, dirty, and her clothes were torn, but Sahara was helpless, and her arms were still spread from an attempt to stop herself from rolling further.

Shi put his hand on the blond girl's shoulder. "That's enough. Yamanaka Ino is the winner."

The red eyed kunoichi relaxed her head and closed her eyes. She was let up, and staggered to her feet next to Ino. There was cheering going on around the arena. The delegates were quite pleased. She let out a heavy sigh and looked up towards the three Kage's seats.

The Raikage had a frown on his face, but didn't seem angry with her. He looked thoughtful and was rubbing his chin. The Hokage had her chest puffed out and looked quite pleased with herself. The oldest of them Tsuchikage had his arms crossed and was nodding his head. "I...lost."

The blond girl put her hand on her shoulder. "It was a good match." The girl seemed almost half asleep.

The red eyed girl frowned at her and brushed her hand off. "You...there's something odd about you. How did you defeat my genjutsu? No one...no one can...I know I had you! You were looking in my eyes. There's no way you...I mean, no one can..."

Ino looked away. "Like I'd explain it. Get real." Her eyes were a bit glazed and she was having trouble standing straight from the look of her. "You're just gonna have to figure it out for yourself."

Sahara blinked at that and seemed to calm. "I see." She looked up at Raikage again. "It was a good match. I won't lose to the likes of you again."

The blond girl staggered for a moment and leaned against the wall. "Yeah. Whatever." She slumped down and passed out against the wall.

Sahara gasped. "What? Hey!" She tried to move over to the girl and looked confused at her sudden collapse.

Shi pulled her back and lifted the girl up with his shoulder. "She's out cold." Ryoji and Genji landed nearby and he handed her over to them both. The pair carried her between their shoulders to the exit. The Kumo Jounin looked on as they moved off. "Seems like she just used up too much chakra and passed out."

Sahara didn't really hear him. She was looking at the four foot wide, two foot deep gouge in the arena floor with wide eyes. "What the?" She felt a chill run down her spine. "If she'd hit me with that..." She wasn't sure she would have survived. "That girl...is a Genin?"

Shi had noticed the damage as well, but didn't give any indication of surprise. "Whatever it was, it drained her chakra almost dry using it. Come on, the matches are over."

The white haired girl nodded and looked up towards the observation deck. Ino was awake again, but looked miserable and as if she might fall over again at any moment. Genji and Ryoji were both grinning at her, while the bowl cut boy and girl in Chinese clothes praised her and congratulated her on her victory. Yugao and Gai both seemed pleased as well, especially Yugao. Ino just looked like she wanted to crawl off and get some rest. With a small smirk, the white haired girl nodded. "Yeah. I guess that's that. Konoha is a lot more interesting than I expected. I didn't think I'd fight anyone so strong here." Shi frowned at her, but his face went a little lighter when he realized she wasn't griping. In fact, she looked a little wistful, even pleased. "I hope I meet them again. I want to fight that girl again someday. That guy with them is kind of cute too."

The Jounin gave a heavy sigh. "If you say so." Kids were weird. His job was over, and after a small ceremony, the events would close, and he could find himself a drink and relax.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was pleased with how things turned out, sort of. He was kind of hoping Ino would do well enough to get promoted, but still get knocked out before the last match. Then he would have had an excuse to train them all into the ground again. Now he had to make up another excuse. As it was, there was a small ceremony where the Hokage and Raikage both presented her with a medal for winning the tournament. The delegates were all sitting about talking after the events.

Umi was smiling as the group was handed a form and a pen by a couple of Kumo nin. Everyone took one, and Naruto seemed confused and arched his eyebrow. "What's this?"

The blue haired woman arched her eyebrow. "It's the voting form. Now that the match is over, we vote on those we feel should be promoted to Chunin. You can choose three candidates."

The blond girl looked it over and nodded. "I see." He was a bit surprised, and hadn't thought that he'd be having a say in it. "Huh. Should have realized." He checked off the Kumo girl, Ryoji, and after briefly considering Ino, decided on Genji. He didn't want to play favorites, and assumed that others would vote for Ino.

Umi smiled as she filled hers out as well. "That was a very good tournament. Much better than usual."

Mizu was looking very bubbly. "Wow. That was something wasn't it? That Konohagakure girl was pretty impressive. I voted for her, that Hyuuga boy, and Sahara. What about you two?"

The Whirlpool Country representative shrugged. "The same really." They both looked at Naruto.

The blond shrugged. "I voted for the Kumo girl, and Yamanaka's two teammates."

The young brunette representative of Wave seemed a little surprised. "Really? That blond girl was impressive. I'm surprised you didn't vote for her."

Umi seemed to agree. "Yeah. She's kind of cute too."

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah. I figured everyone else would vote for her though. They all seemed to have the right qualities too. Being a Chunin is about more than just being strong."

Mizu seemed to understand, but Umi looked confused. Captain Izume smiled at her. "Well, it's nice to know someone appreciates that besides me. Though, I've got to admit, that girl was impressive. I voted for her as well. She's got a good head about her, and planned out her strategy well."

The Whirlpool Country woman frowned at him. "You just voted with your penis."

"Says the woman who voted for the 'cute one'," he replied.

Naruto shook his head. "I guess we head back home after this then?"

Umi blinked in surprise. "You're not staying?"

Mizu cocked her head. "Yeah. They've got great hot springs here! I'm dying to have a good soak!"

The blond girl seemed surprised. "Huh? Staying? I thought everyone had to leave after the exams."

The blue haired woman cocked her head. "Well, the ninja have to leave. They can't stay in the village because of the treaty. We're all ambassadors though. We usually stay for two or three days after the event. There's great shopping here, and I'm looking forward to the hot springs myself."

Izume gave a small snort and muttered "I'll bet," under his breath. The woman glared at him, but didn't speak up.

The brunette woman smiled. "Yeah. We'll show you if you'd like. It'll be fun."

Naruto glanced at his aunt. "I guess I should. I've never done this before. I'm not sure how it all works really." He wanted to find out more about her. He'd been alone for his whole life, and though he couldn't reveal himself to her, he was curious about the family he never knew he had. He also suspected why he was never told. Because of the Kyuubi, he had to remain in Konohagakure. Now he'd discovered he had a grandparent, and an Aunt. He was curious about them both, and wondering if there might be others.

She noticed 'her' gaze and smiled. "I'll show you the ropes. It's nice to get away and relax after business when we attend this sort of thing."

The blond girl nodded. "All right. Sounds good."

Izume smirked at that. He might be able to get Mizu off on her own if Umi was distracted with the Kitsune ruler. He still wasn't sure, but he suspected 'she' just might be male.

Mizu started talking, she had been quiet during the events, but was starting to look like a bit of a bubbly chatterbox. "Yeah. There's a big feast tonight. The food is always good. There's dancing, and we'll all have a few drinks. They give us really nice rooms, much better than my apartment. I've heard great things about Kumo. There's skiing, and hiking, and plenty of shops/ Oh! I heard there's a new place in town too. Everyone says it's great. The Fox Den, or something."

Umi flushed at the mention of it. "We've got one in Whirlpool Country recently. I think it's some sort of chain."

Izume chuckled. "I'm not so sure you'd like it, Mizu. They're popping up all over the place. Valley Country has one too. It's got some of the conservatives all riled up."

The brunette smiled. "Yeah. A lot of people talk about it though. They say it's got a great spa and salon in it though!"

Naruto nodded. "It does. The bar is good too."

Umi smirked. "Oh. You've been there before?"

The blond realized her guards were all smiling and trying to look innocent. "Yeah. I've only been to the one in Konohagakure so far though."

Mizu beamed. "Great! It's decided. We'll check it out together tomorrow. We'll go and get a facial, and get our hair done, and our nails! I hear they even do massages!"

Naruto forced himself to look pleased. "Um, yeah. They give great massages. I've had a few."

The Captain arched his eyebrow. "Well, sounds good. I'll probably check it out myself. I never made it to the one in Valley Country. I've been too busy since it opened to go."

Umi scowled at him. "What? Are you going to get your hair permed or something?"

Naruto looked away in a rather innocent manner. "Well, it's a bar too."

The man gave a rough snort. "As if you didn't know about that."

She blushed and looked annoyed. "Shut up." She turned her attention to the cute blond girl again. "Anyway. Hang out with us for a couple of days. You seem nice, and I like you. I'm sure we'll meet again at the next exams right?"

The blond seemed to think on it. "Well, sure. I'm not sure I'll come every time, but yeah. I'll definitely see you again some time."

Umi put her arm around her. She considered copping a feel, but decided there was time for that later. "Great. Stick with us. We've got to band together to fend off those perverts." She looked towards the other representatives.

Naruto looked in that general direction as well. "Yeah. I've not met them all yet."

Mizu beamed. "Great. It's always nice to have another girl around. It's just been the two of us for a while."

The blond turned a bit red and looked a little nervous at that statement. "Um, yeah. Girls. Heh."

Umi shook her shoulder. "We'll be meeting with the Daimyo of Kumo over dinner tonight. I'll introduce you. He's a pretty nice guy. He's about the only guy here who isn't a huge pervert."

Izume rolled his eyes as he stood up. "That's debatable." He spoke to the girls. "Well, I'll see you ladies later. I'm gonna go catch a nap before dinner."

Koruma and Kira were all looking at Umi. "Hey. We're perverts too."

Masara agreed. "Yeah. Even Highness."

Naruto glowered at them and they all shrugged. He opened his mouth, but found he couldn't really deny it either. "Well. I guess we are. Anyway. What sort of food do they have at this dinner thing?"

Mizu and Umi shrugged. The blue haired woman spoke up. "Well, probably local foods, with a bit of other stuff."

The blond nodded. "Think they'll have Ramen?"

Mizu seemed to think. "I doubt it. It's probably pretty expensive."

Umi looked a bit confused. "Ramen? No way. It's way better than Ramen."

The blond frowned. "What? Are you kidding? Better than Ramen?" She looked appalled. Naruto wasn't so sure this person was a relative of his.

The blue haired woman didn't seem to get the implication. "Of course. Ramen is cheap. This is gourmet stuff here. You'll love it."

Naruto sulked a little. "Not if there's no Ramen I won't," he muttered under his breath.

Koruma rolled her eyes a little. "Be diplomatic Highness, remember?"

He didn't respond but seemed to accept it. "I guess we should stay then. Where are we staying anyway?"

Umi pulled on her arm. "Come on. I'll show you."

OooOOooOO

Ino gave a small sigh as she walked out of the gates of Kumogakure. "Well, I'm glad that's over with."

The Hokage smiled at her. "You did very well. We're all very proud." Sasuke and Sakura were both silent and flanking her as they moved back towards Konoha.

Neji didn't look directly at her and crossed his arms as he walked with his team. He was sulking. Ayume was behind him, looking wide eyed at the ground with her fists balled up. Her two teammates were also silent.

"Yes, you did very well." Lee gave her a smile and put up his thumb as his teeth sparkled. Gai patted his head and seemed pleased.

"Yeah. Romeo here is right." Tenten gave her a warm looking smile as well. "I'm glad you won. That girl was a brat."

Rock Lee flushed a little. "She didn't seem so bad."

Ino smiled at them. "Thanks."

Ryoji and Genji were moving at her side looking relaxed. The larger boy nodded. "Yeah. I have to admit, she was strong, but she seemed all right."

The brunette boy nodded in agreement. "He's right. She talked a bit of trash, but it was no worse than any of us were doing." He looked over at Neji. "Well, most of us anyway."

The white eyed boy frowned at him and avoided eye contact. He didn't seem worried, but rather thoughtful. Ayume looked nervous, and was hanging back in silence. Her two teammates were standing beside her and seemed to have noticed her state. They seemed to be a little protective and it did help her mood a little.

Yugao was quite pleased. "Well, I don't think it could have turned out better. Don't you think, Gai?"

The man flushed a little. "A matter of perspective I suppose." He was aware that her whole team had gotten further than his had. "I expect the next tournament will go better for us."

Ino was relaxed and seemed relieved. She wasn't at top form, but she'd recovered from her fights for the most part. The medical teams of Kumo had fixed everyone up and they were almost good as new in most cases. She looked about and her face fell a little. "Hey. Where's Naruto? He's not coming back with us?" She was used to not seeing him, and only noticed the absence of his three kitsune companions.

The Hokage arched her eyebrow. "No. He's here as a delegate. They usually stay for the weekend. He'll return on Monday." It was Thursday afternoon and they were moving down the mountain stairs towards the border.

She seemed surprised and nodded. "Oh." It didn't look like she was upset by it either. "Great. We probably won't see him until Tuesday or Wednesday then."

Yugao nodded. "That's right."

Genji stretched his arms. "I guess we find out the results next week some time then?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. Usually in about five days."

Ryoji seemed pleased. "Well, I'm just glad it's over with."

His brunette companion glared at him. "I can't believe you just gave up."

The black haired boy put his hands behind his head. "I suppose you'd have just let her kick your butt around for a while? Why should I make myself look like a tool in front of everyone? I was better off giving up."

Tusnade chuckled. "He may be right." She had also voted on Chunin applicants with the other Kage. They were given four votes each, and she'd chosen him as one of her picks. She'd also voted for Ino, Neji, and Sahara."

Ino looked wistful and tired. "I'll be glad to get back home again."

OooOOooOO

Shi stood before the Raikage. "I have a report."

The man looked a little surprised. "Do you now?"

Yugito was in the room as well, leaning against his desk as the man bowed before the Raikage. "I suspect it's about that Yamanaka girl?"

The Jounin looked at her and nodded. "It's more than that."

Raikage arched his eyebrow. "We're aware of a few things that were revealed in the exams. You have more to add?"

Shi stood up and looked very serious. "Konohagakure has a new and dangerous technique. I do not understand it, but it is not to be taken lightly."

The Raikage leaned over his desk. "We have suspicions. The Yamanaka girl has the ability to hide from the Byakugan we think."

Shi shook his head. "Not just the Byakugan. She was able to sneak up on me. That girl can hide her chakra and fight at the same time."

Yugito hung her head a little. "Interesting."

The Jounin man nodded. "She must reveal herself to use jutsu. It did not hide her when she used that Tenshinte, or that chi ball of hers."

The Raikage nodded. "A weakness presents itself. Still, a very dangerous weapon for Konoha. That girl is someone we should keep an eye on."

The proctor of the finals shook his head. "It's not just her."

Yugito and the Raikage both looked at him at the same time. The huge man stood up and put his fists on his desk as he leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

Shi had a serious looking gaze as he answered. "The two ANBU with the Hokage also know of this technique. They were hidden from my senses just as she was. I do not think this is an isolated case. Konohagakure has discovered something very powerful and dangerous. A way to evade not just the Byakugan, but any chakra sensing techniques."

Yugito looked at the Raikage. "This could be a problem. It also seems to give them immunity from Gentle Fist Style. Don't forget how she killed that Hyuuga that tried to assassinate her in the exam."

The Raikage nodded and flopped down in his chair. He put his fist up to his cheek and glared forward. "Yes. I begin to see why the Hyuuga would do something like that. Whatever this is, it is a threat to their position in Konohagakure."

Shi nodded. "There's something else as well."

The Kage looked up at him. "Still more?"

His Jounin nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Yugito arched her eyebrow. "What else could it possibly be? It seems to be very powerful as it is."

The young man nodded. "Yes. It's valuable indeed. Not only does it do as you say, but it also appears to grant immunity from gnjutsu, even genjutsu on the level of Sahara's Desert of Fear."

Again, the other two in the room were looking at him with wide eyes.

Yugito rubbed on her chin. "That's..."

Raikage nodded. "I see. Are you sure?"

Shi nodded. "Sahara was looking her dead in the eyes at the start of the match. I noticed her trying to use it on her more than once. Each time, that Yamanaka girl ignored it completely. As if it was just a stare. This is serious."

The Raikage gave a chuckle. "Indeed. We cannot ignore it."

Yugito glanced back at him. "What should we do?"

The young man looked at his Kage. "Perhaps we should organize an assault team? Ambush them before they leave our borders? Capture that girl?"

The Kage snorted. "Don't be foolish. The Hokage is with them. I suspect she accompanied them to help protect this little secret of theirs. A wise move indeed."

The woman seemed to think on it. "Well, I suspect we should try and capture her?"

The Raikage nodded. "Yes. However, for now, we do nothing."

Shi bowed. "I've told you all I know of this so far."

Their leader stood from his seat and walked over to the window. He put his hands behind his back and looked out over the mountains. "We'll keep an eye on things. The Hyuuga have a problem. Perhaps that can be used to our advantage? If we cannot discover this technique for ourselves, it may be to our advantage to help them destroy it."

Yugito nodded. "With the resurrection of The Eye of the Soul, the threat of the Hyuuga has lessened considerably. It will be many years before it gives us an advantage, and must be protected. However, the current peace makes that easier."

The Raikage nodded. "I'd rather not have to wait that long. A technique like this, would render the Hyuuga powerless. Konohagakure having it puts us at an even greater disadvantage. It is fortunate that Sahara had enough of the bloodline in her veins to allow the lost eye to resurface. However replicating it will take years, and she's too young for breeding yet. We are vulnerable."

Shi looked confused. "So, what are we to do then?"

Their leader seemed to think for a long moment and closed his eyes. "Have someone look into the situation with the Hyuuga. That seems to be the best lead at the moment. If we rush this, it may prove troublesome. I've no wish to start an all out war with Konohagakure at this time."

Yugito frowned. "So, we send a diplomatic delegate? Konohagakure is not likely to be very trusting."

The Raikage nodded. "Indeed. We cannot afford another screw up. We will make no attempts ourselves at this time. Investigate the situation with the Hyuuga, and attempt to enter talks with them. The new Hokage will be more inclined to speak to us. We can use the success of the exams as a door to open diplomatic relations with them."

Shi nodded. "The Hokage may not be our biggest problem. The Hyuuga clan may not be so inclined to trust us, given our past relations."

The Kage seemed to think again. "Perhaps. However, this may work to our mutual advantage. If they believe we wish to see this destroyed rather than captured they may be persuaded."

The young man nodded. "It may prove difficult. They are likely to be suspicious of our motives. Especially since they are probably aware we know of it's effectiveness against the Byakugan."

Yugito nodded. "Agreed. However, we may be able to persuade them to act. I agree we should investigate, and sending a delegate seems to be the best way to do such a thing. I do not think it would be a good idea to approach them directly. However, we may find a weakness that we can exploit to our advantage in doing so."

Shi glanced at her and crossed his arms. "Whoever we send will be watched closely. We are not trusted in Konohagakure. If we are to act, it must be with caution."

The Raikage nodded. "Yes. For now, we open relations with Konohagakure and nothing else. We need to know more of this, and how it relates to the Hyuuga. Who knows, if the Hyuuga are pressured, they may create an opportunity for us without realizing it."

Yugito pursed her lips and chewed on her thumb. "We can assume they know of The Eye of the Soul as well. They will not be pleased to hear it, and we must be careful ourselves. However, it does give them reason to think we value the Byakugan less."

The Kage turned and looked at them both. "I'll speak with the Daimyo of it. For now, we cannot afford another incident. Our relations with them are not poor at the moment. The exams give us an opportunity to open the door to talks with them. You may go. I have much to think about."

Shi nodded and moved towards the door. Yugito stepped towards the Raikage. "If I might suggest someone?"

He looked at her. "I'm listening."

"Okami is a Monk of the Cloud Temple. He is young, and they have good relations with the Fire Temple. One of the Monks there is a Hyuuga, he attended the exams and returned to the temple after the first exam. He is also a Chunin of Kumogakure, but he also has some diplomatic experience. He has visited Suna, Valley, and has spent time studying with the monks of Fire Temple, as well as attending a few diplomatic talks on behalf of Lightning Country while he was there. The Daimyo of Fire Country would know him." The man's eyebrow arched as she continued. "I do not think he would do if we are to act, but he would be the perfect man for the job if we intend to improve our relations with Konohagakure. I do not doubt his ability, or his loyalty, but he would be the perfect man for gathering the intelligence we might need to use more experienced and specialized operatives when the need arises. He is not much of a fighter I'm afraid, but he is intelligent and resourceful, as well as a good speaker. I do not doubt he will be able to persuade talks if nothing else."

Raikage nodded. "Very well. I'll remember that. There's no need for that yet. I'll need to speak with the Daimyo first. I'll speak with him about it myself."

She cocked her head a little and bowed as she turned away. "Very well. I shall leave you then."

The man turned to look out over the mountains from his window with a thoughtful frown. He disliked politics and diplomacy, but understood that they were both required of his station. "I miss the old days." Problems were so much easier to handle when you could just crush them.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: Naruto learns the ropes of Diplomacy.


	40. Chapter 40

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 40

The ropes of diplomacy.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was a bit wide eyed at the sight of 'her' room. It wasn't exactly what he was expecting. The bed was huge, with the head covered in several pillows, there was a full bath, and a table with a flower arrangement that could seat five people easily. It wasn't exactly a royal bedroom, but it was the largest and most expensive looking room he'd ever stayed in. "Hey. Not bad." Koruma, Masara, and Kira were all standing behind him looking about with mild interest.

Umi poked her head into the room and smiled at him. He was still in his henge and glanced back at her as she spoke up. "Hey."

The young blond gave a weak smile. "Um, Hi."

She stepped in as Mizu walked in behind her and grinned at them both in a bubbly manner. "Hi. We're all together then? I'm next door."

The blue haired woman seemed pleased. "Yeah. Us girls have to stick together right?"

Naruto flushed a bit. "Um, girls...right. Yeah."

The young brunette woman bounced. "We've got a while before dinner. What should we do?"

Umi looked at the ceiling. "Well, I guess we could go shopping?"

Naruto paled a little. "I guess so."

Masara grinned at his reaction. "Yeah. Highness could use some new clothes."

Koruma nodded. "Right. She's only got that one outfit."

Kira seemed pleased with the idea. All of them knew that Naruto could henge himself into anything he felt like wearing, but it would be fun to watch him squirm. It was obvious his aunt had plans for 'her'. He didn't seem to be aware of the real nature of Umi's plans just yet.

He was their King, but they were also kitsune. Watching him dodge her and squirm his way out of things would be fun. While they'd all do just about anything for him, their mischievous nature won out.

He was very aware of their enjoyment of his annoyance and glowered at the trio with his back to the other two women as the trio grinned at him.

Mizu seemed a bit surprised. "Huh? You didn't bring a dress for the dinner or anything?"

He glanced back at her and forced his face calm. "I didn't know I'd be staying this long. The Hokage of Konohagakure pretty much dragged me here."

Umi seemed a bit surprised. "Oh. You know her very well?"

Naruto didn't miss a beat. "Not really. I live near Konohagakure. I'm married to their Bijuu." It was honest enough.

The two women looked a bit wide eyed and surprised. Mizu spoke up. "Married to their..."

Koruma spoke up. "That's right. The Nine Tails rules Shadow Realm with Highness."

Umi flushed. "So, you're like a Queen then?"

Naruto froze up a little. He could hear his three companions stifling chuckles. "Yeah. Something like that."

Kira gave the woman a cheerful smile. "More like Goddess. Highness is the um...wife of our...God."

Masara nodded. "Yeah."

Naruto frowned at them. "I'm the crowned ruler of Shadow Realm." He was going to get them for this later. They seemed to know it and seemed cheerful. "I guess we can go shopping then." Now that they'd cornered him, he had to buy clothes. He was planning on just using a henge to alter his appearance. Now doing so might attract attention and suspicion from the two women.

Mizu bounced again. "Great! We should get our hair and nails done too."

Umi smiled at her. "Right. It's a formal dinner. We'll have to wear something nice. I've brought something, but I might decide to pick something up if I find something cute."

The brunette nodded. "Yeah. I was planning on getting something while I was here. I brought enough, and I need new shoes as well."

"How bad could it be?" Naruto asked himself as they left the room as a group.

OooOOooOO

The young blond was a little wide eyed. There was a stack of dresses and two women in nothing but panties on either side of him putting on and taking off clothes. They paraded about in front of the mirrors.

Umi tossed her hair. "What do you think?" She was wearing a sleek black dress with a beaded necklace hanging around her throat. The neckline was just above her cleavage, and the cut pushed her chest together and up.

Masara cocked her head and nodded. "It would look better if there was a slit on the side."

Kira agreed. "Right. It looks kind of hard to move around in."

Naruto was just standing there in a blue dress that fit her well. She was a bit wide eyed and appeared to be a little dazed.

Koruma prodded him. "What do you think, Highness?"

"Looks good." He muttered a bit half-hearted. He wasn't paying much attention, and was doing his best to ignore the fact that his aunt had pulled it off and was picking through the dresses in her panties again. He focused his eyes on Mizu, she wasn't related to him. It didn't help much, both of them were wearing garter belts, thigh high panty hoes, push up bras with slim cuts, and lacy and small panties.

Mizu frowned at the blond. "You know. I don't think blue is your color."

Naruto looked down at herself and peered into the mirror, glad for the distraction. "I dunno. I've never really worn formal stuff before."

The brunette seemed surprised. "Huh? You're royalty right?"

Koruma gave a small shrug. "We're not a very formal culture." The redhead was looking herself up and down in a red dress that was slit up to her hip. "Hey. Too much red do you think?"

Kira glanced at her and nodded. "A bit." She was trying on a brown dress and frowned at it. "Ugh." The violet haired kitsune pulled it off quickly.

Masara had settled already on a blue green single piece gown that hung off her curves and showed off quite a bit of her cleavage. She leaned in towards Naruto. "It's not so bad, huh Highness?"

The blond gave a small sigh. "Well, I guess I can't say I've not done worse." He pulled the blue dress off and looked at some of the others.

The redhead handed off the dress she'd tried to him. "Hey. I bet red would work."

Naruto took it and looked at it. It seemed like it didn't have much fabric to it. Despite the fact that it would go all the way down to his ankles.

Kira and Masara both practically shoved him into it. After a moment 'she' found herself looking in the mirror with a bit of horror. "It's too hot." She was a babe, and her chest was pushed up and out, revealing quite a bit of her bust line and a good view straight down her chest. The slit up to her hip showed off her legs quite a bit as well. It seemed like it was just hanging from her breasts.

Mizu looked over. "Really? I'd be worried about being a bit chilly."

Naruto looked over at her. "No. I mean it's too sexy. I've been hit on by every guy I've met here so far. I don't think this will help."

Umi gave a short laugh. "Well, I have to admit you look good in it. Very sexy." She gave the blond a sly smile. "It's annoying to get hit on, but if you look really good, it's easier to get what you want from them."

Kira smiled. "She's got a point."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. The only thing better would be to go naked. I don't think that'd be polite though."

The green haired kitsune nodded. "Yeah. Kind of a shame that they're so prudish."

Mizu looked over at them. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Kira looked at her. "Shadow Realm is pretty much 'clothing optional'."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Optional? From what I know, it's recommended that you go without."

The violet haired girl nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much. I like this one." She was brushing her hands down the side of a form fitting silver dress.

Koruma had found a white one that was pretty much two sheets of cloth. One in the front, another on the back, and a belt around her waist.

OooOOooOO

Two hours later...

Naruto's hair was a bit frazzled, and her three 'guards' carried several boxes and bags as they walked through the shopping center of Kumogakure. His two new friends had several boxes and bags of their own. He'd paid for everyone, and didn't mind much. Masara had paid a visit to the local Fox Den and picked up enough cash to more than cover it. Everyone had gotten clothes, including the three kitsune. He was dressed in a white sun dress with a big orange ribbon around his waist and a wide brimmed straw hat with a big orange bow on the back. It went down to just above his knees and left him feeling very breezy from the waist down.

The two women were very pleased and chatted cheerfully. Naruto was pretty quiet, but responded when spoken too. It wasn't so bad once he got used to it, though he was glad it was over, or so he thought.

The brunette looked at Umi. "Now we need shoes."

The blond's eyes went a little wide at that and her eyebrow twitched.

"Yeah." Kira seemed to be enjoying herself a bit more than Masara and Korume, but both the male kitsune were entertained as well.

Masara shook the young blond's shoulder. "Sorry, Highness."

Koruma nodded in agreement. "Yeah. This is the worst part, but they're right. We're going to need shoes to match our outfits."

OooOOooOO

Kira had Naruto by the hands and was walking her through the store. "Right, remember, heel then toe. Good!"

Umi and Mizu looked on as Naruto was coached in the use of High heels.

The aqua haired woman gave a small sigh. "She's never had to wear high heels before?"

Masara nodded. "No reason to. Shadow Realm hasn't had much relations with the outside world until recently."

The brunette frowned a bit. "Man, lucky her." She stood up in a pair of her own and looked at them from the sides and back as she considered them.

Naruto was moving about pretty well. She stumbled a bit and was shaking on occasion, but he was getting the hang of it. "I don't believe I'm doing this." He and Kira were out of earshot of the others and speaking quietly.

The violet haired girl smiled. "Well. That disguise was your idea. If you're going to be using it like this, you need to know this stuff."

The blond scowled a little. "These shoes suck. My butt is all lifted up, and the back of my legs are all stiff. Not to mention, my toes are all bunched together, and I feel stupid taking these tiny steps. It's bouncing my chest about too."

His trainer nodded. "Well, they're supposed to do that. They're not made to be comfortable, but to make your butt and legs look good."

He seemed to accept it. "I'm gonna get you guys for this crap later. I could have gotten out of this mess if not for you three."

She smiled at him and nodded. "Well, make it a good one. Sorry, but you can't be dodging stuff like this. You're supposed to be diplomatic remember?"

He gave a small sigh and nodded. "Yeah. I got it."

OooOOooOO

Another hour later...

Umi glanced over her shoulder, and they all had several more boxes. "I hate to leave so early, but we need to get our hair and nails done before dinner."

Mizu looked to agree. "Yeah. I know. We've only got about four hours left."

Naruto was no better off than he'd been before. He was still wearing heels, though a shorter pair than the ones he'd gotten for that evening. The pair he was wearing was an inch and half, the one's he'd be using later were three inches.

They walked into the back entrance to the Fox Den. Inside, everyone knew to not let on that they knew him. A twenty something kitsune with white highlights in her hair greeted them. "Hello. Welcome to the Den. What can we do for you?"

The aqua haired woman took charge. "We've all got a formal dinner to attend this evening. We need to get our hair and nails done."

Koruma smiled at the greeter. "Nah. We'll all take the full treatment." She put a hefty bag of coins on the counter.

The two women looked surprised. Mizu seemed pensive. "Are you sure? I mean, it was so nice of you to do all this of you. Thank you."

Umi nodded as well. "Yes. Thank you again. I didn't expect all this. I'm not sure we've got time though. We have to be there at eight, and it's almost four."

The kitsune girl behind the counter smiled. "Plenty of time."

Masara nodded. "Yeah. I made an appointment earlier. There's no wait or anything."

Mizu and Umi were both flustered and muttered thanks.

Naruto gave a small sigh and nodded. "Yeah. Shouldn't be a problem."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was relaxed. They'd all gotten a massage, and were sitting under hair dryers with their hair done up in curlers with several girls working on their hands and feet as they all relaxed. The group had cleansing masks on their faces. He had to admit it wasn't bad at the moment. His head was a little uncomfortable from the heat and the odd feeling of the curlers on his scalp. Overall though, it was pleasant and relaxing as the kitsune worked and pampered the group.

Umi gave a sigh. "This is great. Thanks again."

Mizu giggled. "Yeah. I've never had a full spa treatment before. It was amazing." They'd gotten a massage and had done a seaweed wrap for their bodies. They all had cucumber slices over their eyes and were reclined under the hair driers in bathrobes while two 'girls' worked on their hands and feet respectively for each of them.

Naruto smiled despite himself. "Yeah. It is pretty relaxing isn't it?"

Mizu gave a contented sigh. "I think I'm in heaven."

It wasn't so bad, and while he wasn't completely comfortable with his situation, disguises and deception was part of being a spy. That made him feel a little better, even though he wasn't exactly 'spying' at the moment. He'd come to realize that he would indeed have to put up with this sort of thing on occasion if he wanted to keep a human face while keeping his real face hidden.

OooOOooOO

Naruto looked about at the large banquet hall. He was with Umi and Mizu at the entrance to the hall. A long table with place settings for everyone was set up along the back wall, with an open area in the middle where the delegates were mingling. There were about twenty groups, most of the diplomats had not come alone and had a small entourage of two or three people with them. Not all of them, Umi and Mizu had come alone, and a few others were just on their own. Captain Izume was nearby and smiled at the group. He was wearing a much more formal uniform with medals pinned to his chest and smiled at them as they entered.

Mizu blushed and lowered her head at the sight of him. "Oh. Izume is very handsome."

Umi frowned at that. "I suppose he doesn't look bad. He's still a pervert though."

Naruto nodded. "So, you like that guy? He seems all right."

The brunette flushed a bit more. "N-not really. He's just a friend."

The blond nodded. He was wearing a sleek red dress and had his long hair done up behind his head, with two small curls down to his shoulders by each of his ears. He was also wearing a pair of large red ball earrings and a necklace with a few large rubies that the Kitsune had given him to wear. They had given him a bit of jewelry and insisted that he wear it, all of it encrusted in large rubies and diamonds. A thick bracelet, and a couple of rings adorned his fingers. She was also wearing a small tiara with rubies in it as well over her forehead, with the three claw marks etched into a large ruby at the center. His three guards were all dressed nicely as well, with their own hair done up. Masara's green hair was short, so she didn't really do anything with it. Kira had her red hair done up on top of her head in curls, and Kira had her ponytail in a fancy braid.

Umi leaned in to her shoulder. "Hey. You look really good."

Naruto flushed a little. "We all look good."

The aqua haired woman chuckled. "You'll be fine. Come on, I'll introduce you to some of the others."

The Raikage was standing next to a man in fine robes with pink hair and a fan with a cloud on it in front of his face near the front of the room. The large Kage had his arms crossed over his chest and looked very intimidating, he was dressed nicely though, in a heavy coat and nice pants with expensive looking shoes. He didn't look entirely comfortable in his attire and it was clear he'd rather be elsewhere.

Umi walked up and bowed low before the man with pink hair. "Daimyo, it is good to see you again."

The man looked pleased. "Ah! Umi, dear! It's been so long!" He put out his hand to her and smiled. "I must say it is good to see you again!" His fan closed up and he showed his face. He had a small mustache and a beauty mark on his left cheek. His clothes were violet and pink and seemed to bring out his hair.

The aqua haired girl took his hand and kissed it. "I hope you are well."

"Very. The events went smashingly. I dare say, I never cared much for attending myself. Such a brutal affair." He looked a bit disgusted with the idea. "I've never cared much for the sight of blood, and they're always so young. It just sends shivers down my spine." He spoke with a heavy lisp and seemed to purposely raise the pitch of his tone. He also shifted his hips as he moved and eyed the blond girl with her.

Umi nodded. "That's very good. You remember Mizu?"

The brunette bowed deeply and looked a bit flustered. "Daimyo, it is good to see you again."

The man nodded and poked his fan at her chest. "Well, I can see you've grown a bit dear. It's good to see you, I must say you've come along. You could barely speak to me the last time we met. I must say I am rather impressive, it's good to see you've grown more personable. It will serve you well in the future."

The Raikage rolled his eyes a little and nodded at the blue haired woman. "Miss Uzumaki. Pleasant to see you again."

She nodded. "Yes. I hope you are not too uncomfortable."

He coughed a little and turned his head away from her smirk. "I'll be fine."

The Daimyo looked over at Naruto. "Well, what have we here. A quiet one? She seems interesting though."

The Raikage seemed to just notice her and furrowed his brow a little. "Who?"

Umi introduced the blond to the pink haired man. "Daimyo, I present the Queen of Shadow Realm."

Naruto tensed up and got a little wide eyed. "Queen?"

Kira giggled behind her hand and leaned in. "Well, if you want to get technical, you are wearing a dress right now, Highness."

Masara and Koruma were both doing their best to not laugh. Naruto got a bit dead eyed and frowned at his violet haired companion. He didn't argue though.

The Daimyo had frozen in place. "Sh-Shadow Realm?" He stiffened up a little. "I thought the queen of Shadow Realm was..."

Naruto nodded. "I am married to the Nine Tailed Bijuu."

The Raikage seemed to relax. "Should have realized..." he muttered under his breath. Most Kitsune took the form of an attractive young woman when they took a human form.

Koruma smiled and bowed. "You know a lot about us, Daimyo."

A young ninja woman stepped up from nearby. She was wearing a gown, and had a necklace with the Kumogakure symbol on it. Her blond hair was tied back into a braid and she looked quite serious. "Well, there are two Bijuu here in Kumo. They both know of the Kyubi. How is Tomamo?"

Naruto didn't hesitate. "Getting along with the Jinchiriki if you can believe it. I'd say he's done her some good."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. He's a bit thick headed though."

Kira giggled. "Yes, very stubborn."

Masara agreed. "Right. He likes pranks, and doesn't mind feeding her."

Naruto was annoyed, but managed to keep a straight face.

Yugito uncrossed her arms and her jaw dropped a little. "Apparently that's very funny."

The Daimyo arched his eyebrow. "This is Yugito, one of our Jounin."

The kunoichi nodded her head. "It's an honor."

"Bro, you should have said there'd be music. I could have done DJ for you, it would have been superfly."

The collective group turned towards where the Raikage was standing. The man had his arms crossed and frowned at Kirabi, the ninja who had 'rapped' before the exams. The Kage glared at his brother and looked away. "It's formal, it wouldn't have been appropriate. We hired an orchestra, this isn't a keg party."

Naruto grinned at the Daimyo. "Quite a colorful group. Bet they're a handful."

The man smiled at her. "You have no idea."

She put her hand on her hips. "I'm the ruler of the Kitsune."

The Daimyo seemed to consider that for a moment. "Oh. Well, It's nice to meet someone who understands."

Kirabi grinned as he seemed to notice them. "Hey. Daimyo." He put up his hand and walked up. "I see you've got all the pretty ladies to yourself again. You shouldn't be so greedy."

The pink haired man giggled girlishly and flushed. "Oh. Kirabi, you shouldn't be so informal." He didn't seem to mind much. "I suppose I should introduce you. You know representatives Umi and Mizu don't you?"

It was obvious he didn't know them well, but he nodded and tried to look serious and cool. He pulled it off to some extent, but the Raikage took away some of the effect just by being near him and above paying attention at all. "Hey. I hope you're enjoying yourselves."

The Daimyo cut off any response. "This is the Queen of Shadow Realm." He indicated Naruto and seemed to pause. "Forgive me, what did you say your name was? It seems to have slipped my mind already."

The blond girl looked at the hulking Kumo ninja and then towards the pink haired Daimyo. "I don't have one."

Kirabi arched his eyebrow. "No name?"

The blond girl shook her head. "No. My people don't really use them. We tell each other apart by our scent."

The large ninja paused and cocked his head. "Huh? You're, wait? Nine Tails?" He glanced over at Yugito, and seemed to relax a little as he noticed she was not alarmed. "I'm confused. You're who?"

The blond girl shook her head. "I'm married to the Kyubi. I'm not a Jinchuriki, or a Bijuu."

Kirabi cocked his head and nodded. "Hachibi don't know you."

Naruto shrugged. "Eight tails huh? Tomamo never talks about the other Bijuu. I never really cared to ask. It's nice meeting you I guess."

Umi and Mizu were both looking a bit lost. The brunette frowned. "Isn't Tomamo a girl's name?"

The blue haired girl nodded. "Yeah. I guess, maybe their both girls?" She didn't sound to sure of that.

Mizu seemed even more confused. "But, didn't she say she was married to..."

Kira was listening in and standing with them. "We told you we're kitsune already."

The brunette girl cocked her head. "Yeah, but...you let girls marry...girls?"

Masara shrugged. "We don't care. Only humans get bothered by stuff like that."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. As long as they're happy who cares? It's none of our business. We like girls too you know."

Kira nodded. "Yeah. I prefer guys myself, but girls are lots of fun too."

The Daimyo had tears in his eyes and his fist was clenched. "How progressive!"

Umi nodded. "Yeah. I have to admit..." She couldn't quite finish the statement and looked towards the trio of Kitsune. "Girls...can really...marry other girls where you're from?"

Koruma shrugged.

Masara looked very pleased and nodded.

Kira cocked her head. "Why wouldn't they not be able too?"

The two women flushed and the pink haired Daimyo closed his eyes. "Yes. It makes perfect sense."

Izume walked up with a drink in his hand. "Hey. What's up?" He felt a hand on his rear and his eyes drooped a little. "Ah. Daimyo, I didn't see you there."

"Why, Captain Izume, it's good to see you." He gave the man a wink from behind his fan. "You look very handsome. Tell me, what do you think? Is it a bit much?" He spread his arms and showed off his clothes.

The man stepped away a little. "Very regal, sir."

Naruto was chatting with Yugito and Kirabi nearby. "Yeah. I've spoken with her recently. We don't see much of each other though."

The large man nodded. "Hachibi says that it's good to hear she is well. He seems surprised though. She never seemed like the marrying type."

Yugito seemed to agree. "She's got quite a temper from what I've heard."

Naruto cocked her head. "I guess. It's not so bad once you get past it. I didn't get along with her very well at first. She wouldn't talk to me, but I guess I sort of won her over." He wasn't being completely dishonest about it.

Yugito nodded. "You bear her mark, her scent. I'd have trouble believing you otherwise. Nibi seems confused and surprised. In a good way I mean. She's almost as bad tempered as Ichibi according to him."

Naruto seemed a little embarrassed. "I guess I can see what you mean. We get along all right. I've not really seen her in a while."

Kirabi looked sympathetic. "It must be difficult. You being all alone."

The blond shook his head. "It's not so bad. She's not gone or anything. I've got my people, and I'm pretty busy taking care of our son."

Both of the Jinchuriki seemed to stop and stare at her. Yugito spoke up first. "S-son?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes. That's right. He's still very young."

Kirabi gave a snort. "That explains a lot."

Yugito agreed. "Yes. I guess she calmed more than I thought. Amazing."

Umi appeared and pulled on her arm. "Hey. I hope I'm not interrupting, but there's some more people who would like to meet you."

The young Queen looked at her and gave a small polite bow to the two ninja. "It was nice meeting you. I hope we can speak again some time."

Yugito and Kirabi both returned the gesture and seemed pleasant. "You as well." replied the woman. She turned towards Kirabi after the blond had left. "What do you think?"

He shrugged. "Why not? She seems honest."

The blond woman smirked. "I don't think that's a 'she', but yeah. Nibi says he can sense her mark on whoever that is."

Kirabi seemed pretty relaxed about it. "Well, I guess someone had to look after Shadow Realm after she was gone. They don't interact with us much."

Yugito nodded. "Why now though? What brought her out here? What's their interest in humans now?"

The Raikage spoke up. He'd been listening in. "Orochimaru."

Both of the jinchuriki looked at him. "Huh?" muttered his brother.

"Orochimaru has made an enemy of the Kitsune. He has threatened the Kyubi's offspring." He narrowed his eyes towards where the young Whirlpool representative had pulled her off to. "I'm not sure why."

Kirabi didn't seem interested in thinking about it. "What difference does it make?"

Yugito frowned at him. "Why would he though?"

Their Kage closed his eyes. "I'm not sure. It doesn't make a lot of sense. He attacked Konohagakure, and I've heard reports that the Kitsune aided them."

The blond woman glanced towards the blond. She was being introduced to the delegates and was getting hit on a lot. "That doesn't make much sense. The Kyubi was the enemy of Konohagakure. She tried to destroy it, and attacked them. That's how they ended up with their Jinchuriki. You'd think the Kitsune would be upset."

Without thinking much about it, Kirabi spoke up. "Maybe they were protecting the Jinchuriki? He's got the Kyubi inside of him after all."

Both of his two companions looked over at him. Yugito put her hand up under her chin. "That makes sense actually. They were protecting their own interests. It would have really upset Orochimaru if they got in the way."

"Perhaps." The Raikage nodded. "We should be cautious. It seems as though the Kitsune may be allies with Konoha."

Yugito nodded. "Yes. What should we do?"

The Kage shook his head. "Keep an eye on her while she is here. I see no need to do otherwise. While I suspect they may have ties with Konoha, they may also not be very close. I have reason to believe that they may just be using each other to face a common enemy in Orochimaru. The Kitsune are great in number, but not very powerful. It is said that the origin of many Genjutsu may lie with their kind."

Kirabi nodded. "So, we cool then?"

The Raikage nodded. "For now. They may prove useful."

Yugito tossed her ponytail. "She seemed nice enough. Not very experienced as a diplomat though."

The Raikage nodded. "Yes. I'm planning on seeing if I might make use of this 'ruler of Shadow Realm'." He reached into his shirt and produced five photos. "I got an interesting offer. I'm thinking of taking them up on it. She may be able to provide interesting intelligence opportunities in the future."

The woman glanced at the photos and looked disgusted. "What? Ugh. Men."

Kirabi grinned. "Hey, impressive. Is that the Hokage?" He whistled and scratched the side of his head. "Hey, make me a couple of copies, eh bro?"

Yugito fumed a little. "What? You pervert. What's the big deal?"

Raikage nodded towards the blond. "I doubt their relation with Konohagakure is very close. I got these from the Queen there. It seems there may still be a bit of a grudge with them, but the situation with Orochimaru has made them overlook it for the time being."

The blond woman crossed her arms. "What's so impressive about some dirty pictures?"

The Raikage pointed at the background. "These were taken in Konohagakure. The view of the mountain shown here, could only have been taken from the Hokage's residence. I've seen it before, though it has been many years. I was assigned as a guard for the former Hokage and stayed there with him during a diplomatic mission before relations became strained after the incident with the Hyuuga. I am certain that these were taken in the Hokage's private bath." The faces on the mountain were overlooking the scene in the background. "I admit she is attractive, but that fact is what interested me most about these photos."

Yugito gasped and uncrossed her arms. "What?"

Kirabi seemed to get the implication. "Spies then?"

The Raikage gave a serious nod. "Skilled spies. It may be in our interest to cultivate good relations with them for now. We'll see how that goes, and what we can learn. We'll have to be cautious, as I said, they may have allied themselves with Konohagakure. They are not to be trusted. However, I do not think they would mind being mercenaries. I expect Tsuchikage may also take advantage of this. Whatever their ties to Konohagakure are, we should expect her loyalty to lie with Shadow Realm above all. I have already requested a job on their behalf, to test their usefulness and see if this is not an isolated incident or just dumb luck. If she comes through, we will be hiring their services for intelligence gathering purposes in the future."

Yugito gave a serious nod. "Be careful. We could get burned."

The Raikage nodded. "I am aware of that, but this is a case where the possible rewards may outweigh the risks."

OooOOooOO

The dinner had ended and the guests were mingling about the center of the room. Naruto had a glass of wine in her hand and was talking with some of the delegates with Umi and Mizu at her side. The Daimyo was a bit drunk, and was chasing about after Izume. The Captain was skilled at dodging and was avoiding being within his line of sight. As it was, he was with Naruto and Umi, far enough from Mizu to not upset the blue haired woman while the Daimyo was distracted with chatting with a few other delegates.

The young blond had been hit on by just about every man there. He'd never had so many lips on his hand before, and he was planning on scrubbing it until it was raw as soon as he could. He'd met a few of the other representatives from other countries he'd not gotten the chance to speak to before the event. They all seemed friendly enough, and most of them had made at least a passing attempt to get into his pants.

He glanced into a nearby mirror and the wine had helped his mood a little. He wasn't drunk, but he was feeling it's effects a little. "I guess I can't blame them. I am rather hot." She was laughing and making small talk with a group of women who had gathered at the back of the room.

Mizu seemed cheerful and bantered with them. "Huh? I suppose he's cute."

Most of the women in the group had come with one of the representatives as a date. They were boasting about who they'd come with, how rich he was, and how handsome their respective dates were if the men were young enough.

Umi was annoyed with the general tone of the conversation, but seemed to put up with it. Naruto was largely ignoring it. His three companions were making cheerful small talk and seemed to fit in. The spoke in positive terms, and uttered 'I'm so jealous' or 'Yes. He's very impressive' quite a bit.

She blinked as she realized that she was being spoken too. "Huh?"

"Who are you here with dear? We've all been talking about our dates, but you've been rather quiet." It was a woman in her mid twenties in a very slim cut dress who seemed to think a lot of her looks. Most of the women were like that, but she seemed to have taken charge of the conversation. She was there with Iroda as his date for the evening.

"I'm not here with anyone." She shrugged and took a sip of her wine.

A brunette woman with wavy hair rolled her eyes. "That explains why you're so dressed up. Looking for a man?"

The blond shook her head. "No. I'm married."

Umi growled a little. "She's here as a representative like me and Mizu."

The group of girls gave a collective cackle. The raven haired woman put her hand over her mouth. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Naruto was getting annoyed. "What? Why?"

Umi turned her eyes away. "They're all leeches. None of them has ever done a day of work in their lives."

A young woman with olive colored hair raised her nose up. "If you're pretty enough, you don't have too. Not that you'd know anything about that."

Naruto shrugged. "She's better looking than you are."

That got the girl riled up. "What? That old hag has nothing on me."

Mizu glared at her and balled up her fists. "Umi is not an old hag! You spoiled brat!"

Naruto and Umi grabbed her arms and pulled her back. She calmed and looked a bit miffed.

"Oh! It's Kai." One of the girls with them spoke up as Mofune passed nearby with his guard. The man glanced at the group and met eyes with Naruto for a moment.

The raven haired girl smirked. "I wouldn't mind spending a night with him."

Her wavy haired companion nodded. "You said it. What a babe!"

Another girl with dark skin and pink hair and a small diamond sparkling in her nose nodded. "To bad you'd have to put up with that grabby old man getting in the way. He'd never let any of us get any time alone with him."

A blond girl with the same skin tone gave a chuckle. "Yeah. He'd be so busy trying to nose his way in he'd ruin any chance you had."

Naruto shrugged. "A guy like that wouldn't be interested in a lazy woman anyway."

The raven haired woman seemed annoyed. "What? He'd be honored to spend time with me. He kissed my hand when Iroda introduced us."

Umi growled. "He did the same thing to all of us. What difference does it make. He's not that hot."

Mizu blushed. "Yes he is."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess. No way he'd be interested in any of you though. A guy like that needs a girl who is active and can take care of herself."

The wavy haired brunette glowered at her. "What would you know?"

The blond just looked at her. "He's a ninja. He'd be gone all the time, and he's not the type to sit still or spend all his time fawning over some spoiled woman."

The pink haired woman nodded. "Yeah. Well, I wouldn't want to keep him. He's cute, but poor. Just one night would be enough for me."

The raven haired woman chuckled as she tossed her hair. "You said it. You sure seem naive. Honestly, as if one of us would marry such a poor man. Besides, it's better if he's not there all the time. Plenty of time to mess around behind his back."

Most of the women there seemed agreeable to that. The brunette woman frowned at Naruto. "What would you know of it?"

The blond girl cocked her head. "I suppose I wouldn't."

The raven haired woman looked quite haughty and lifted her nose. "I suppose not. You wouldn't know a thing about the better things in life. Iroda takes good care of me, and I've got him totally under my thumb. Your two little friends are from Whirlpool Country and Wave Country. Everyone knows how poor they are. I bet they don't even own their own homes. They're probably living in some rat infested hotel by themselves."

Mizu looked a bit upset, it was accurate enough to stab at her. She looked at the ground and said nothing.

Umi balled up her fist and looked away while growling, as it also hit pretty close to home in her case.

Naruto smirked and crossed her arms. "Iroda's been hitting on me since he met me. That loser."

The raven haired girl rolled her eyes. "As if you could take him from me. I'm the daughter of Mikado Anzawa of River Country. A very rich and powerful man. I've lived like a princess my whole life, and he's not going to give me up for some poor little salary worker in too much costume jewelry at some ambassador's office in a little shit hole nowhere country. Don't delude yourself."

Naruto's eyes gleamed with a dark glare. "I suppose he wouldn't. However, he just might for the Queen of Shadow realm, wearing very real jewels, with more income in a day than the entire Anzawa shipping corporation makes in a month of operations."

The raven haired girl gasped and almost dropped her glass of wine. A slender hand caught it before it fell very far from her grip. She was frozen and had her eyes wide as she realized that there was something very sharp poking at her throat, and the women were all backing away.

Naruto stepped forward and put her hand up. "Kira, let her go."

The violet haired girl pulled the kunai away from the woman's throat. Koruma and Masara were flanking her, and keeping the rather stunned group away. "Yes, Highness."

Naruto shook her head. "We're supposed to be making friends. Try to keep your temper." She didn't look much like she was fussing at the violet haired kitsune. She looked the raven hared woman up and down as she handed back her glass of wine. "As for you. I'd be more careful about who I go waging my tongue at. Otherwise, I might remove it myself. I assure you, I'm quite capable." She took a quote from Mofune as she turned away. "You're lucky we're the guests of Kumo. I'd have taken it already if we were in my home."

Kira gave her a dark glare as she passed by. "Watch your mouth. Otherwise you might not stay so pretty. How much do you think you'd interest Iroda then?"

She took a step back and lowered her eyes as she gripped her glass.

Naruto walked back between Umi and Mizu, both of whom looked quite impressed. Umi frowned a little and didn't sound much like she was chiding her when she said, "Thanks, but don't get yourself in trouble."

Kai walked up to the group and the women turned pink as a collective. He looked at Naruto and gave a small smile as he bowed. "I was hoping her Highness would give me the honor of a dance?"

Naruto glanced over her shoulder at the wide eyed group. "Sure. Why not?"

"She's a Queen?" The brunette put her hand over her mouth.

"No way." The pink haired woman looked rather disturbed. "I hope I didn't piss her off."

The raven haired woman downed her glass and glared at the blond as she moved out onto the dance floor. "Shut up." The band was setting up to begin playing after the dinner was over, and their dates were coming to collect them.

Umi was glaring at the blond man. "What? What is he doing?"

Mizu grinned at her. "Teasing them of course. He's a babe. I wouldn't mind a dance with him myself."

Iroda, who had vacated as soon as the conversation had started to turn hostile without a word, appeared again. "Would you settle for me then? I don't have a date myself."

Umi was too focused on being annoyed with Kai to notice. "Ooh. Hands off. Damn it. Don't put your hand..."

Koruma, Masara, and Kira were all standing around her looking pleased. Masara puffed her chest out. "Hey, she's getting the hang of it."

Koruma smiled at Kira. "Good idea, kid."

The violet haired girl nodded. "I wouldn't have minded if Highness wanted me to cut her throat. That brat was annoying."

Masara narrowed his eyes. "Wait. You were bluffing right? I mean, you knew Highness would tell you to back off right?"

The youngest Kitsune shrugged. "I figured, but that doesn't mean I would have minded."

OooOOooOO

Kai was out on the dance floor with Naruto. He had one of her hands held out and his arm around her waist. "You've not had much experience dancing?"

She looked at him. "Not like this."

He nodded. "Sorry, I noticed you watching the others. You should pay attention to your partner though. I'll guide you through it." He seemed amused with her.

She flushed a bit. "Thanks. I think I've got the hang of it though." He spun her around and twirled her back into his arms. She was a little surprised, but went with it.

He was smiling at her. "So it would seem."

They moved through the other dancers with ease, both of them gracefully. "So, Kai is it?"

The man nodded. "Yes. It is my duty to guard Mofune. He is the brother of Tea Country's Daimyo."

The blond nodded, not sure what else to say.

"You're quite beautiful. I must say I'm impressed." He spoke softly and gently into her ear.

Naruto was a bit flustered and at a complete loss. "Well, um, thank you."

"Forgive me. I just didn't want Whirlpool Country to monopolize all of your time, Highness." He smiled at her as they spun through the dance floor. "I had no idea Shadow Realm had ninja of such skill."

She blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

He chuckled and didn't lose any of his cheer. "You've not made a sound walking since I've met you. Quite difficult to do on a polished floor in high heels. Though, you don't seem to notice. It's the way you move, you picked up dancing just by watching those around you, and you've adapted quite well when I've thrown something new at you. A mark of a well trained individual."

"I noticed as well." She replied with a slight nod. "Your fingers indicate that you're skilled with a bow. You draw with your left, and aim with your right."

He arched his eyebrow. "It seems you have me." He looked into her eyes.

"What do you want? Genjutsu isn't very effective against Kitsune you know." She narrowed her eyes at him. She'd almost not caught it in time to draw up her Chakra long enough to prevent his gaze from catching her off guard.

He chuckled. "To charm you. As I said, you're very attractive. I am hopeful that you'll be interested in relations with Tea Country."

Naruto noticed the infliction of the word 'relations'. "What do you mean?"

He kept his cheek close to hers and whispered into his ear. "I overheard Raikage talking about you. It seems you're offering services in the information market. Tea Country would like to take advantage of what appears to be quite a skillful ring of spies. The Hokage, in her own bath? Impressive indeed."

Naruto's eyes drooped a bit. "It was, wasn't it?" He smirked a bit despite himself. The truth of the matter was, he'd set it all up. One of the Kitsune had posed as Tsunade in the Hokage's private bath while she was elsewhere for the shots. Skilled as he was, the sound of a camera shutter was a bit much to risk with her so close by. "I'm listening."

He pulled back and smiled at her. "Not here. There are too many ears."

The blond 'queen' nodded. "Well, I guess we should meet later then. You should know, I'm being watched."

"Do you really think I don't know that you can easily slip away?" He chuckled. "Meet me later, I'll give you the key to my room. Forgive me if I seem forward."

The blond flushed as she felt something slide into her bra. It was cold and metal, but she stayed relaxed. "All right. I'm willing to listen, but I won't promise more. I've got other obligations at the moment."

The man looked at her with his deep blue eyes. "Yes. I'm aware you have a temporary alliance with Konohagakure because of a situation regarding Orochimaru? I believe it was something along those lines. It should present no issues with that situation."

The song ended, and the dancers paused to clap for the orchestra. Her dance partner put his hand around her waist and before she could react, he kissed her full on the lips. For a moment the blond felt his lips part and his gag reflex almost went off immediately as he felt something rub on his teeth.

Kai pulled away and whispered into her ear. "For appearances sake. It should be easy for you to slip into my room after that. Midnight, in the east wing, they room number is on the key. Though, if you are interested in more, I would be willing." He smiled at her, kissed her on the cheek, and turned away.

Naruto was frozen and wide eyed. He shook his head and at first quickly, but then slowly moved towards the edge of the dance floor. He passed by Mizu and Izume as they were both locked into a kiss, his hands were on her rear. He seemed to realize that he could still feel were Kai had grabbed his. Mizu's hand reached out and grabbed his arm as he attempted to slip by as she broke the kiss and smiled at Izume. He was smiling back and turned away after giving her a small bow. "Thank you for the dance."

She flushed holding Naruto's arm. "Yes. It was...nice." She turned away pulling the blond girl with him. Naruto had the presence of mind to realize the other women in the room were giving him jealous glares. She led her away from the bar area over to a corner.

The blond girl seemed annoyed, but did her best to not show it to Mizu. He liked the girl, she was a bit bubble headed, but very sweet and she'd been a good friend. "Wow. That was great!"

The blond flushed. "I need a drink." Alcohol would kill the taste in her mouth, and get rid of germs from the stupid jerks tongue.

Mizu smiled. "Yeah. Me too. I'm so flustered."

Naruto nodded. "You could say that."

She leaned into him and elbowed his belly. "I saw him slip you the key to his room. You lucky girl you."

The 'queen's' eyes narrowed a bit. "Yeah. Well, I haven't decided yet." She didn't want to go through with it after the jerk kissed her, and felt like she was going to throw up. She couldn't blame him though, she was the one posing as a hot blond girl after all.

Mizu flushed. "Look, both of us is getting laid tonight. I need your help though." She shifted her gaze towards where Umi had been when they left.

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

The brunette gave a heavy sigh. "Umi is a great friend, and I love her to death." She sighed again. "She's also a huge cock block. I need you to distract her later so I can get away. I've been trying to get Izume alone for months now. I want to fuck him really bad. She...keeps getting in the way. I know she means well, but...I need to get laid."

The blond nodded. "Well, I'm supposed to meet him later."

The brunette nodded. "I can read lips. Sorry, I wasn't trying to pry or anything. You don't have to meet him until midnight. We're supposed to go to the hot springs after this together. If I told her I was too tired and wanted to go back to my room and it was just the two of us, she wouldn't go."

Naruto seemed to catch on. "But if I go..."

Mizu nodded. "Right. Keep her distracted would you?" She looked more serious than Naruto had seen her yet. "Look. I swing both ways. I'll sleep with you later if you'd like. I noticed you looking while we were shopping. I really need a guy though, and Umi gets jealous."

The blond blinked in surprise. "She's your girlfriend or something?"

The brunette flushed. "Well, no. We just sort of keep each other company when we meet at this sort of thing...if you catch my drift. I can get laid at home, but...I really like Izume, I don't see him outside of things like this, and I'm horny."

"Oh. Well, I was planning on heading for the hot springs after this anyway." The blond nodded. "I'll make sure she comes along." He wanted to kill the germs on his hand, and getting kissed by a man hadn't helped him feel any less dirty.

Mizu jumped and squealed as she hugged him. "You're the best. I'm so glad I met you. I'm sure we'll become good friends." She released her. "Hey. I want to talk with you later too. I wasn't trying to pry, but...I sort of caught the gist of that thing about spying. Wave Country would be interested as well. Don't let the big Five Overlords get you to themselves all right? They've got enough spies as it is. Help us little countries out too."

Naruto slumped down a little. "Weren't trying to pry?"

The brunette chuckled. "Well, maybe a little. Welcome to diplomacy."

The blond smirked at her. "Well, I'm gonna remember you can do that later."

His companion took him by the arm. "Great. Come on. I need a drink. Don't say anything to Umi all right? She'll get upset. We can have girl talk and you can tell me about Kai, and I'll tell you about Izume. Okay?"

Naruto wasn't so sure that he liked the sound of that, but nodded anyway. He was starting to think of her as a friend.

They moved over to where Umi was still standing. She was with Koruma, Masara, and Kira. She lit up as she noticed the two girls. "Hey. There you are. How did it go?" Her face fell a little as she asked and she crossed her arms and looked away.

Naruto smiled at her. "I annoyed every woman in the building at once. It was kind of fun."

Koruma rolled his eyes. The blue haired woman was a little drunk. She had a shot of something strong in her hand and downed it before putting on the tray of a server who was passing by. She walked over with a slight stagger in her step. She looked at Naruto. "Your friends are nice."

The blond glanced at the three innocent looking kitsune. "What have you three been up to? Besides getting her drunk?"

Kira glanced at him with a subdued smile. "She did that on her own. We were just keeping her company."

"Yeah. Don't worry Highness." Masara looked a bit too pleased.

Koruma tried to look like she wasn't paying attention. "Nothing much of interest really. We just had a few drinks while we were waiting on you two."

Naruto downed a shot after taking two from a tray and gasped. "Great." He felt better as soon as his chest was warmed. As if he'd finally killed the slight vomit taste in his mouth. The sourness on his tongue was gone, and replaced with a warm sweetness. He downed the other and sat down.

Mizu sat down and took for shots of something clear in a row. She seemed to relax, and the group sat around making small talk for about an hour.

OooOOooOO

Umi sank into the pool of hot water and gave a relaxed sounding sigh as she settled. There was a towel on her head and she wasn't wearing anything else. "Ah. This is great." She flushed a bit and poured a cup of sake into a small floating table. "You want some?"

Naruto was blushing and doing his best not to look at her. Her hair was also in a towel, and she was already in the water when Umi arrived. "No thanks. I've had enough to drink for now." She'd done a few more shots with Mizu at the party. The brunette had pretended to be more drunk than she really was and had bowed out after they left. Umi had said something about not wanting to leave her alone, but Naruto had sent the Masara and Koruma to help her back to her room.

Kira skipped out of the changing room and lowered herself into the water. Naruto turned her eyes towards her, glad to have something else to look at besides his naked aunt. "Hey." she chirped.

Umi put her arm around the blond girl's shoulders and held a small cup out to her. "Come on. Don't give up on me now. It's not a hot spring without some warm sake to go with the soak."

Naruto relented. "All right, but only a little. I don't want to throw up in the water later." He took the cup and sipped at it. The moon was overhead and half full, and the stars were shining brightly down on them. The spring was outside, and a large wooden fence surrounded it. There was a small wooden building behind them with a few showers, a couple of stools next to faucets for washing, and a changing area.

Umi chuckled at that. "Lightweight."

Kira was grinning and keeping quiet nearby with her own flask on another of the small floating tables. Naruto relaxed completely and let her chin go under the water to blow a few bubbles as he soaked.

The blue haired woman leaned into her. "So tell me a bit about yourself."

The blond sat up and looked up at the sky. "Not much to tell. I like Ramen and Plum Wine, and I'm the ruler of the biggest group of perverts in the world."

Umi smiled and shook her shoulder. "What about your family? What are they like?"

"Well, I d..." He paused. He was so used to answering that he didn't really have any family that he'd almost not caught it. He glanced over at Kira and smiled at her. She cocked her head and seemed confused. It wasn't really true. "I've got lots of family. There's my son, he's very young, but he means the world to me. Then there's Koruma, Masara, and Kira. They're nothing but trouble, but I don't think I'd get by without them." He though of Sasuke and Sakura, even Ino for a moment, but didn't say anything about them. "I don't really have any surviving direct family, but I've got the Kitsune, and my friends."

The violet haired girl flushed and gave him a big grin before looking up at the sky and relaxing a bit more.

Umi nodded and seemed to notice. "You're pretty close with those three guards of yours?"

The blond girl nodded. "They all live with me, awful perverts too. I guess, people just grow on you after a while. I barely remember what it was like before them." She looked at the blue haired woman. "What about you? What's your family like?"

She furrowed her brow a little. "Well, there's my father, the old coot. He's a handful. Always telling me I should get married, and how the family line depends on me. Mom died when we were young, and...I guess you know what happened to my sister. I've got a younger brother too, but he's a useless idiot. Other than that, not much to tell."

Naruto nodded. He had a surviving grandparent, and an uncle as well it seemed. He took another sip on his drink and put it down. He then looked down and realized that Umi's hand was cupping her breast.

The woman was leaning on her shoulder and put her head down. "Ah. This is nice."

The young blond tensed up as she felt a hand on her thigh. "Um...I..um..."

Umi kissed her neck. "You're pretty."

The boy had no idea what to do. "Well, um. Thank you. I..." The hand under the water brushed against her nipple and the one on her thigh started moving up her leg. "Hey. Slow down. I'm not...um...well..."

The blue haired woman lifted her head up. "I'm sorry. Is this bothering you?"

Naruto glanced at her with wide eyes. "Well." He didn't want to snap at her. "Look. It's not that I don't like you or anything...I just..."

The woman kissed her and smirked. "What's the problem then?"

Kira was looking on with her hands under her chin in fascination while taking sips off her drink.

Naruto lifted her hand out of the water and showed the black ring on her left finger. "I'm married to a nine tailed demon with a record of demolishing whole villages."

Umi sat back and considered that. "Well, if you don't tell I won't."

Kira giggled a little. "Not a word from me."

The blond narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Thanks."

The blue haired woman started towards her again. "It's settled then. I'm just looking for a good time. Don't worry, I'm not trying to steal you away or anything. We can have fun when we meet up like this sometimes. I don't mind."

Naruto shivered as she felt something brush up against her crotch. "Wait. Slow down would ya?"

Umi gave a small sigh. "All right." She kissed her on the neck again and pulled her hand back. "You don't like guys right? I don't care for them either."

The blond was wide eyed and had no idea what to do. He didn't want to shove her off him and upset her either. "Yeah. I'm..." She swallowed and looked at the blue haired woman. "Look. I really like you and all. I just...came here to learn more about humans. I'm not ready for that sort of thing. You've helped me out a lot and I'm grateful and all. I'm not comfortable with that sort of thing with humans. I don't know your kind all that well." His mind congratulated him. "Maybe after I get accustomed to dealing with your kind? I'm not sure yet."

Kira looked away and narrowed her eyes. He was talking his way out of it pretty well. "It's not that different from doing it with us."

Umi frowned and moved back a bit. Much to Naruto's relief. "Sorry. I didn't mean to push you." She gave a heavy sigh and frowned. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to sleep alone tonight though." She started to stand up. "I guess I'll go find Mizu."

Naruto froze up. He was supposed to be covering for her. "Um. Wait!" He glanced over at Kira. "I didn't say I couldn't help with that." He looked a bit shifty eyed.

Umi blinked. "Huh? You just said you weren't interested. I'm not upset or anything, I guess I don't mind just being friends." She scratched her head. "I'm kind of horny though, and I've had a bit to drink."

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I can take care of that."

Umi sat back down in the water and relaxed again. "I'm listening." She narrowed her eyes.

Naruto looked over at Kira. The violet haired girl looked around and then back at the pair. She stood up and walked over to sit next to Umi pulling the woman's arm around her. "Hi." She placed the woman's hand on her chest.

The older woman arched her eyebrow. "Well, nothing personal, but I'm not that into violet hair, and her chest is a bit small." She looked at the girl. "You're very pretty too, but..."

Naruto smiled at her. "What do you like? What's your ideal woman?"

Umi took her arm off Kira and seemed to think on it. "The perfect woman huh?" She frowned at the blond. "What, are you going to conjure it up? What's your angle on this anyway?"

The blond gave a shrug. "I like you. I'm not interested myself or anything, but you've been good to me since we met, so I want to help you out." It was an honest statement and his discomfort had abated somewhat. "You're pretty and all too, but...I've got other interests in you."

The blue haired woman narrowed her eyes a little. "Interests? What interests?"

The 'queen' smiled and cocked her head. "You answer my question and I'll answer yours."

Umi gave sigh and crossed her arms. "The perfect woman huh? Five four, a hundred and ten pounds, a D-cup, with short cut blond hair shoulder length. A little butch, but not too much. I like a tough girl, but I wouldn't want to be able to mistake her for a guy either. Men kind of creep me out for some reason."

Naruto nodded. "How's that then?" She pointed to where Kira was sitting.

The short haired blond girl stood up and bounced her chest a bit. "Hmm. A bit bigger than I'm used too." She shifted her arms and looked back at her rear. "This isn't too much ass is it? I can do less if you prefer."

The blue haired woman had her jaw hanging down. "What the?"

The blond chuckled at the reaction. "She can look like anything you want. If there's anything in particular you'd like her to change, just tell her. She can look like anyone she wants."

Umi was amazed. "That's...so cool!" She stood up and looked the kitsune girl up and down. "Hey, can you take a bit off the nose? Just a little."

Kira pushed her nose in a bit and it stayed. "Like that?"

"Like a henge?" Umi arched her eyebrow.

Naruto shook his head. "No. Kitsune illusions are much stronger. A henge only fools your eyes. Everything you see not only looks real, but feels real as well. Pretty cool huh?"

Kira seemed pleased. "Yeah. Thanks, Highness." She was a bit flustered by the praise.

Umi reached out and played with one of Kira's breasts. She pulled her hand back and looked at it in awe. "Wow. That's something. How did..."

Naruto was a large golden nine tailed fox. "I keep telling you. I'm not human, I'm a kitsune. All of my group are. We can look like anything we want."

The woman gave a wide eyed nod. She sat back down and found herself sitting next to the blond 'queen' again. "That's...wow." She picked up the flask and took a few heavy gulps. Her literal dream woman sat down next to her and took the bottle before pouring another cup for her.

"I don't mind keeping you company for tonight. Here, let me take care of that." She held the cup and tipped it into her mouth giving her a drink.

Umi was a bit blank, but relaxed a little after another sip of alcohol. "Okay. I'm starting to get into this. Just go with it." She found herself looking at the girl under her arm's body. "Just don't turn fuzzy on me in the middle of anything. It'd just weird me out."

Kira cocked her head and smiled. "Don't worry. I already know what I'm doing. You're not the first woman I've been with."

Umi felt like she was going to cry. "This is awesome."

Naruto seemed pleased. "Great."

The blue haired woman glanced back at her. "What about you? I mean, won't you be on your own then?"

The blond shook her head. "I've got Masara and Koruma to keep me company too you know. Besides, any Kitsune will do anything I want. Trust me. I'll be just fine." She was a lot more relaxed now that she had control of the situation.

Umi nodded and seemed to calm completely. "If you're sure. I mean, I don't want to put anyone out. I'm sure I can get Mizu to help me out. She's always been willing before."

Kira gave a small shrug and rubbed on the woman's body. "Don't worry. I'm a total slut. It's no big deal. I'll enjoy it quite a bit." She bit on the woman's ear.

The blue haired woman's eyes half closed as her back arched a bit from what was going on under the water. Naruto had put a little distance between them and was looking away.

"What's with you anyway?" The woman looked serious again. "What's your interest in me?"

Naruto glanced over at her. "Uzumaki Kushina."

Umi narrowed her eyes a bit. "What about her? She left home when I was young. I didn't know her that well." She sat forward and shoved Kira back gently. "I thought you said you didn't know her anyway. What's your interest in my family."

The blond shook her head. "I didn't know her. I know her son."

Umi's eyes went a little wide. "What?"

"His name is Naruto, he lives in Konohagakure. He's one of the ninja there. He does not know he has any surviving family." The girl looked towards the woman with a serious look on her face.

The blue haired woman turned her eyes down. "I...see."

Kira nodded. "He's a great guy. I know him as well."

Naruto smiled at her. "He's the reason we have opened up to relations with the humans." Another thing that wasn't really a lie.

Umi sat back with a smirk on her face. "That's why you've been hanging out with me then?"

Kira sat up and took her hand. "He's the reason we have grown to trust the name Uzumaki. You have been good to us, and you've helped Highness a lot."

The woman looked up at the moon. "I always got along with Kushina. She was a strong woman, a kunoichi. I used to look up to her you know." She seemed wistful, but her face fell. "Father never liked that she became a ninja. He was afraid of what might happen to her. When she told him she was getting married to a ninja of Konohagakure, they had a big fight, and she left."

Naruto hung his head a little. "I'm sorry."

Umi glanced at her and smirked. "She never contacted us again, but we found out that her husband had become the Hokage. Dad was...proud. He was hoping to...he wanted to talk to her again. Patch things up between them." She shook her head. "Then we heard about what happened in the village. She was killed...by the Nine Tailed Fox, along with her husband."

Naruto gave a nod. "I know, and so does he."

Umi stood up and glared at her with a hard and angry expression. "You shouldn't be so trusting. I was hoping to get you alone." She raised her hands and formed a seal.

Naruto cocked his head. "Huh?"

The water in the spring began to swirl. "Your wife killed my sister. It destroyed my father when he learned of it. She took away his chance to ask her for forgiveness!" She jumped out of the spring and landed just outside it as the water swirled in a violent manner towards the center. Naruto was clinging to the edge of the pool and reached out to grab Kira's arm as she was pulled off the edge and screamed in alarm. He kept his grip, but the vortex was growing more powerful.

Umi scowled at him. "I was trying to seduce you, but not because I wanted to fuck you. No. I wanted to kill you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!" She walked over and lifted her foot to stomp down on his hand as he glared up at her. "We didn't have anything to do with that!"

"So what?" Umi put her foot down and started grinding on his palm. He was starting to pull the stone he was clinging to up, and she actually delayed his being sucked into the dark energy at the center of the whirlpool. "This is about revenge. She took my sister, and I will take her wife. What's she going to do, sealed up inside her Jinchuriki anyway?"

The boy growled as he felt his fingers slipping as she kept grinding her foot onto the top of his palm. "I will have my revenge. It's too bad, you are pretty. I was hoping to have a bit of fun before I killed you."

His grip failed and he spun around in the water towards the dark energy in the center. Umi looked on with a malevolent glare as she watched him spin towards the center. She paused as the water became violently still after the blond and his friend went under in the center. Rather than leave the tell tale signs of red tinted water the technique should have produced, a violent explosion Blasted up from the center of the pool spraying the hot water in every direction.

Naruto was at the center, holding his palm towards where the sphere of energy generating the torrent had been. He'd managed to produce a rasengan just before he came into contact with it, and the resulting blast had cleared the pool of water almost completely. It was starting to fill again from a hole at the center that lead to the source of the spring.

Umi screamed in pain as she shielded herself and became scalded by the deluge of hot water that blasted from the pool. She landed on her rear holding her face and growling. "What the hell?" She froze and gasped. The violet haired kitsune was holding a kunai up to her throat with a wild eyed glare.

"That's enough." Naruto was holding the girl's wrist and keeping her from killing the woman. She still appeared as a blond girl, and was gasping for breath.

Kira looked back at her. "She tried to kill us."

Umi was pinned down and made no moves as she glared at him. "You...how did...?"

Naruto shook his head. "You're not the only one who can use a jutsu."

The woman had tears in her eyes. "Kill me and be done with it."

Kira backed off and frowned at her. Naruto turned away. "I'm sorry about your sister. Killing me won't bring her back."

The Uzumaki woman managed to get to her knees. "So what? I told you already...this is about revenge! That thing destroyed my family! My father went insane! My brother is nothing but a worthless wanderer! You...your kind...you ruined my life! Look at what I've become! I'm nothing! Just a diplomat who lives alone in a rat infested apartment! Whirlpool country is in shambles, our shinobi village was destroyed, there's nothing there but suffering and poverty! The weak are picked off by bandits and thugs. I can do nothing but watch as my Country crumbles into chaos and destroys itself!"

Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "If you keep telling yourself that you can't do anything, you'll end up right."

The woman staggered to her feet. "Don't lecture me! Do you have any idea what it feels like to be alone? To be abandoned and hated by everyone? Do you know what it feels like to live without respect, and to be told how worthless you are every day? I'm nothing but a formality. The Daimyo is powerless, a lame duck, nothing but a figurehead. I come to these events for nothing but the appearance. I don't report to anyone, and everyone here knows it. I just go home, and they ignore me until the next time they need a warm body to visit another country and sit there so they can say they sent someone."

Naruto balled up his fist. "Yes. I know exactly what it feels like." He wanted very badly to break his henge. "I know what it means to be hated. I know what it feels like to be alone and told how useless you are. I was an orphan myself you know. Everyone hated me, feared me, and I never had any friends when I was young. Parents used to pull their children close to them and turn away when they saw me."

The woman gasped and her jaw dropped. "What? She looked angry. "You...you think you can..."

The blond shook her head. She looked towards Kira and found the violet haired girl frowning at him. "Nobody saved me. I had to work to earn respect. I'm sure you know about that yourself. You've got more respect here than you seem to realize. People who would help you if you gave them the chance."

Umi snorted. "How naive. Everyone here is looking out for themselves and their own interests. You'll figure that out soon enough."

The blond girl glanced at the woman. "Go to Konohagakure and find Uzumaki Naruto."

The blue haired woman was clutching her arms and frowning at her with a glare in her eyes. "Why should I? What good would it do me?"

The 'queen' pulled on a robe and tied it around her waist in a slow purposeful manner. Umi was humiliated and beaten. She was showing her that she wasn't afraid of her, and didn't consider her a threat. "He can't save your country for you, but perhaps he can help you more than you think."

Umi was shaking with an angry glare and tears flowing down her cheeks. "What good can he do me?"

Naruto walked into the changing area with Kira by her side. "Maybe he can show you why what you are doing is so foolish? Trying to kill me for revenge will just leave Whirlpool Country without the representative it so desperately needs. It's also considerably more dangerous to your home than you imagine. I'm sure you can think of an excuse to make your way there."

Umi fell to her knees in tears and simply shook while holding her arms.

Kira looked at Naruto as they left the changing room and headed back to the rooms. "It might have been a mistake to let her live."

He glanced at her and nodded. "I know."

She glanced over her shoulder. "I guess...she is your family. What are you going to do when she shows up?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. That depends on her."

Kira nodded. "Why didn't you...you know?"

The blond didn't look back and kept moving towards the rooms. "My duty comes first. Keeping who I am now, separate from who I am as a ninja is part of that. I can't be connected to that if this is going to work."

The girl seemed to think on that. "I think I understand. You chose your loyalty to Konoha over your feelings."

The boy paused his stride and looked at her. "Loyalty to Konoha?"

She looked surprised and furrowed her brow. "Highness?"

He shook his head. "I've realized something very important because of all this. Konohagakure is my ally, but I can't afford to give it my loyalty. I am your King, and my loyalty is to Shadow Realm above all else. Right now, Konoha is useful, and I do not intend to make enemies of them. It is my home. If I ever have to choose, I will choose my duty, and Konoha is no longer my duty." He started walking again and lifted his head up a bit more. "I did used to dream about being Hokage. I never really gave up on that dream until I came here to Kumogakure. I've realized that I can never be Hokage of Hidden Leaf. From now on, my dream is to be the best King I can be for my people. That is my responsibility, and that is my duty. I can't afford to split my loyalties, and that dream has to die."

Kira smiled at him. "I'm sure you'll do well Highness." Her chest was puffed out and she looked very pleased with him.

OooOOooOO

Meanwhile...

Uzumaki Naruto gave a heavy sigh. He could be in two places at once, and that was exactly what he was doing. He opened the door to the room he'd been invited to and found himself in a softly lit room. There were candles about the walls, and soft music was playing. Kai was sitting at a small table with a smile on his face. He stood up and moved up to greet her taking the bag off her shoulder and her coat.

She was dressed in a dark green dress with a low neck line. A string of pearls adorned her neck and two earrings sparkled from the candle light as he ushered her into the room. "Well, very punctual. Midnight on the dot." He was pleasant and greeted her.

"I'm usually late. You should be flattered." She fluttered her eyelashes and let him lead her to the table. There was a chilled bottle of wine and a candle between them. "You've gone to a lot of trouble on my account it seems."

He smiled at her. "No trouble at all. I find the atmosphere relaxing." She glanced over and noticed rose petals were spread out across the bed. She knew she'd been followed to the room by a Kumo shinobi. They were keeping their distance though, and were keeping tabs on her.

He sat down across from her and poured a glass for each of them. "Were you followed?"

She nodded. "Yes, but it would have aroused suspicion of I'd lost them. They're down the hall a ways. I've got someone watching them who will warn me if they get too close."

Kai smirked at that. "Very resourceful of you." He gazed into her eyes. "You look very beautiful."

She returned the smirk and gazed into his eyes. "Business before pleasure, dear."

The man nodded. "We're interested in hiring your services. Nothing serious of course. Just keeping tabs on a few of our neighbors."

The blond girl nodded. "You only border Konohagakure."

He sat back and cocked his head. "That's true. We're less than interested in them though. We've got rivalries in shipping. Konoha doesn't do much exporting by sea. They rely on land routes for trade and have very little in the way of a navy of their own. Most of their ports rely on shipping by other countries, such as Wave and Sea Countries, as well as Lightning, Wind, and River Countries."

Naruto smiled. "Well Gatou is out of the picture. I heard that their aggressive shipping practices have mostly stopped. They have that bridge of theirs now. I've also heard rumors of Tea Country nearly being involved in an incident with a village near the border of Fire Country not very long ago. Seems to have cleared up, and nothing came of it. I do understand there's a bit of mistrust between the two over it now though. Konoha has put pressure on their trade relations and has tightened security on the border. Nothng serious, but I'm to understand that imports cost a few extra Ryo now because of it all."

Kai nodded. "It's good to know you keep your ear to the ground. Fire Country is of no real concern. A few heads rolled, and that mess was smoothed over rather quickly. Lightning Country controls the Northern Sea routes, and they're welcome to it. We run routes, but our major routes are mostly in the southern seas. We mostly control the seas between the Island nations. Tea Country's real strength is in her Navy. Our army and ninja are enough to keep our borders safe, but are not strong enough to be any real threat to a place like Fire Country."

Naruto sipped on her wine and listened. "That's what I've heard. I'm guessing this is about River Country. I noticed you were less than friendly to Izawa. Rumors of pirates?"

The blond main nodded. "Yes. We're very interested in finding out anything we can about their operations. They're notorious smugglers, and we've got little interest in that. However, recently they've been attacking other merchant ships. More organized than the usual scuffles between competing companies."

The girl was playing with her pearls. "I see. Tea Country's Navy is having difficulty dealing with them?"

Kai shook his head. "No. We've handled it, most of our ships go out with escorts now. However, sending those escorts is expensive. They still get attacked, but we've not lost any more merchant ships. We do lose sailors though, even though we usually drive off the raiders. They don't use River Country flags, but it's obvious they are river country ships."

"Why not attack the bases?" She had a feeling she already knew the answer.

Her 'date' confirmed her suspicion. "We can't figure out where they are coming from. Their bases are well hidden, and may not be on the mainland at all. We cannot sail along their entire coast without causing a ruckus looking for them. We'd probably lose a lot of ships and it might start a war."

"Have you captured any?" The girl was interested and taking it seriously from the look of her.

"Yes. They all died before revealing anything." He seemed thoughtful. "Another reason to believe this is well organized. Pirates are usually weak willed and fall apart with little prodding. They do not often operate in anything more than small groups. Usually three to five ships. This involves at least twenty ships, probably more. Though we suspect it's less than thirty. We've sent six to the sea floor."

The blond girl nodded. "That does sound like a well organized fleet. It would require quite a port to hold it all. It's probably spread out over several ports."

"We're at a loss. They are not easily found and vanish quickly using fog. We suspect a jutsu of some kind, meaning there are probably ninja involved. Likely more than one who can use such a jutsu."

The blond sat back and kicked her leg. "Hidden Mist maybe? I've seen a jutsu like that before."

Kai leaned forward. "We're not sure. Hidden Mist has a lot of missing and abandoned Nin. They're stable now, but have not been until very recently. It has since calmed since the death of Yagura. They also might have hired the services of Hidden Mist proper. We know little about them, and as I said, we've been unable to locate where they are operating from because of their ability to manufacture that damn mist. It's very frustrating. We've sent spies to try and discover them, but nothing of note has come up."

"I'll look into it." The blond girl glanced at him. "How much I charge for the information depends on how difficult it is to find out."

"We'll pay handsomely for any information about this problem. If you can come through, we may be interested in hiring your services again in the future." He leaned towards her. "I do hope it's not too expensive. We're willing to pay a fair price, but don't expect us to pay a fee that's worse than what the pirates cost us."

She smirked at him. "Don't worry. I'm not interested in getting to involved with any Country's affairs. I don't mind a bit of information dealing, but you can expect me to keep my nose out of anything that might cause too much trouble. I'm not getting dragged into a war or helping you or anyone else out with an aggressive action. I don't do contracts, if I find something out, I'll bring it to you, and we can discuss a fair price depending on what the information is about." She played with her necklace again and relaxed in her chair. "You can expect me to find out what both sides of this story are. I don't mind helping defend your interest or keep your borders safe, but I've got my own kind to think about. It has to be good for my kind to help you out. I've no interest in risking the neck of every Kitsune in River Country over a shipping dispute."

Kai narrowed his eyes a little. "What do you mean?"

Naruto leaned towards him. "There will be a gold price on this of course, but I also know that your fur trade includes hunting foxes. We'll work something out when I've got something useful to offer you, but you can expect it to cost you considerably less if that trade becomes illegal. After all, if you're hunting my people, you're not much of an ally, are you?"

He seemed to think about that. "I'll see what I can do. I'll need something to bring to the table though."

The blond girl cocked her head. "I know. We'll discuss it once I've managed to get something that's valuable to your Country."

He nodded. "Well, I've made my offer. I'm afraid it's not within my power to promise such a thing to you though. Though, I assure you I can at least get the Daimyo's ear if you have something to offer in regard to this problem. He is not pleased with the situation, and puts a lot of pressure on the Navy, Marines, and his ninja to deal with it."

The blond girl nodded and sipped at her drink again.

Kai leaned across the table and took her hand. "Now that business is finished, might I interest you in something more...pleasant?"

Naruto nodded. "Let me just go freshen up a bit." She grabbed her bag and made for the bathroom. Once inside she opened it up. Masara poked his head out and hopped out shaking himself off. Naruto opened the window beside the shower silently and slipped out. The Kitsune changed into Naruto's female form in a skimpy neglige, waited a few moments, and then opened the door. She posed in the doorway and smiled at him. "Well, this is certainly more comfortable."

OooOOooOO

The next day, Naruto was eating breakfast with Mizu. The brunette had thanked her for running interference for her the night before.

The blond found himself enjoying the conversation. Even though it quickly degraded to a conversation about their respective nights with the men. Masara had reported back and filled him in with enough information about it to get her by in the conversation. Mizu was impressed with Izume and raved about what he'd done to her.

Naruto was able to get by giving minimal information about Kai and 'her' fling with him. He had spent his evening with Kira and Koruma, and was worn enough to make his story plausible.

Umi walked up to the table and looked at the blond with a frown on her face. She looked a bit tired, and it was obvious she'd not gotten much sleep. Naruto didn't look at her and said nothing.

"I'm heading back today. Just saying goodbye." She looked at Mizu.

The brunette stood up with a worried expression on her face. "Umi, are you all right?"

The blue haired woman nodded once. "I'm just a bit hung over. I over did it a little last night."

Her friend looked concerned. "Maybe you should get some sleep? You're leaving early? Why?"

Her older friend smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. I just overdid it, and I think I'm better off heading home a little early." She looked at the blond girl. "It was nice meeting you. Maybe we'll see each other again next time."

Naruto gave an even nod. "Sorry you can't stay."

Mizu looked confused and almost seemed to follow after her. She sat back down looking dissatisfied and glanced at the girl across from her. "Did something happen? She didn't find out did she? I hope she's not upset."

The blond girl shook her head. "Nothing important. She drank a bit too much last night and ended up passing out. No big deal."

Mizu looked a bit cautious and nodded. "Okay. You two got along all right? She seemed to really like you." There was something a bit cool about their parting. Though neither one seemed angry or upset with the other.

"She's fine, I think she's just a bit embarrassed about getting so drunk and passing out before anything happened. We're not mad at each other or anything." Naruto glanced over her shoulder at the direction the woman had gone. "I hope I see her again. We got along pretty well."

Mizu nodded. "Sorry if she disappointed you. She's good in bed. It's not like her to get that drunk."

Naruto smiled at her a little. "Nah. I understand and all. It's no big deal. I'm sure it will go better the next time we meet."

The brunette cocked her head and gazed in the direction Umi had moved off in. "Well, I feel kind of bad for her. She really seemed to like you, and I'm sure she's disappointed. The truth is, she asked me to help get the two of you alone last night. I didn't lie about wanting to go with Izume and I'd rather she didn't find out about it, but it just sort of worked out. She's a really good friend."

The blond girl nodded. "I'm glad you think so. She could use a friend like you."

That confused her companion. "What do you mean?"

Naruto smiled at her. "The situation in Whirlpool Country isn't the best right now. She's under a lot of pressure, and I think it got to her a little. Don't worry, she's a strong woman, but she can use every friend she can get."

Mizu seemed pleased. "Yeah. You'll be her friend too, right?"

The blond girl crossed her arms and nodded once. "I'll help her if I can."

It seemed to calm her companion down and relieve some of her worry. "Well, I guess it's just you and me then."

OooOOooOO

Naruto walked into his room and sighed. Kumo had a lot to do and she'd spent her day hanging out with Mizu. It was early in the evening and she relaxed as she flopped down on her bed. She'd gone skiing, and walked along a mountain trail with the energetic young brunette. It had been fun, and they'd done a bit of shopping as well as had lunch together.

The Kitsune trio was lounging about the room with her. Kira had gone along and was pulling off a pair of snow boots and a coat. "That was great Highness." She'd run into a mountain fox friend while they were out and spent a bit of time chatting with her. The new kitsune had taken the form of a Kumo native and had spent a few hours with them in the mountains, teaching Naruto how to ski, and acting as a guide along the trail they had hiked. She'd spent a bit of time talking with Kira as well while he chatted with Mizu. She could run her mouth a mile a minute, but Ino had conditioned him to put up with that sort of thing.

A knock came at the door. Naruto stood up and opened it. The young brunette girl was smiling at her. "I've got another date with Izume this evening. So, I probably won't see you again before we leave tomorrow."

Naruto arched her eyebrow and smiled. "Oh. Well, it was fun. I'm looking forward to seeing you again one day."

Mizu smiled and nodded. "Yes. I'm glad I met you. I could never get Umi to go out to go hiking or skiing with me. She's a lot of fun and a great friend, but she doesn't like being outside much."

Naruto nodded and found himself wondering just how much Mizu knew about her friend. The woman was a trained ninja. Not exactly a Jounin level, but he thought she was probably a Chunin. That Jutsu she tried to kill him with wasn't exactly a low level Ninjutsu technique. "Maybe she just doesn't like the cold?"

Mizu nodded. "Maybe. She's not any better anywhere else. She always says 'I'd rather just relax while I can' or something."

The blond girl smiled at that. "This might be the best opportunity she has. She doesn't seem lazy or anything."

The brunette nodded and seemed to think on it. "Maybe you're right. Anyway. I wanted to thank you again. You've been really nice. I hope we meet again, and can become good friends!"

"I hope so too. I'm glad I met you, and Umi as well." Kira frowned a little at that behind their back, but neither one noticed. Masara and Koruma had heard about the incident, and kept their feelings on the matter hidden as they both acted as if they didn't care much.

Mizu jumped into the blond girl's arms and kissed her. Naruto blinked in surprise, but didn't shove her off. The blond girl flushed a little as the brunette woman hung from her arms. "Hey. I still owe you for helping me out the other night. Remember?"

The younger blond smiled at that and seemed a bit put off. "Huh? Don't worry about it. I was glad to help. Really."

Mizu grinned and pushed her back a little more. "I insist. I promised, and besides, I think you're pretty hot too." She closed the door behind herself after hanging the 'do not disturb' sign on the outer knob.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was looking wistfully back at the gates of Kumogakure as she walked down the long mountain steps away from her little vacation. "Well, that was certainly something."

Masara nodded. "Yeah, I'll say."

Kira sighed and hung her head a little. "It certainly was exciting if nothing else."

"I sure learned a lot." Naruto cocked his head and folded his arms as he strolled away, still in his henge. He was going to keep it for a short time, until they were out of view of Kumo. Just in case he happened to run into anyone along the way.

Koruma chuckled. "Yeah. How to walk in high heels, put on makeup, and ballroom dancing."

Naruto frowned at the trio for a moment. "I'm gonna get you guys for all of that crap later."

Masara nodded. "We look forward to it. Besides, you are our 'queen' after all. Heh."

Kira seemed amused at that. "Yeah, our King is a Queen. Funny that."

The boy hung his head. "Aw, lay off. It's bad enough I've got to put up with it. I should have known it was a bad idea to henge this way." He scratched the back of his neck. "Besides, I'm a ninja and a spy. I've got no problems wearing a disguise if I need to. All that stuff might come in handy some day, who knows?" He'd not expected to need Rasengan in this trip, but it had come in handy.

The violet haired Kitsune smiled. "That Mizu was a nice girl. She was a lot of fun."

Koruma chuckled. "I'll say. We almost made her miss that date of hers."

Their leader's mood did seem to improve a little, but he still looked a bit sour. "Man. When did I turn into such a pervert anyway?" Before she'd tried to kill him, he'd actually considered sleeping with Umi for a moment. He was glad he resisted now, but he was wondering if it was for the right reasons or not. "It was fun, but I'll be glad to get back home and see Kitsuma again."

Kira smiled at that. "Yeah. I wonder how the prince is doing?"

Masara nodded. "I'm sure he's fine. He's well guarded if nothing else."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah, those two teachers of yours are great guys."

The boy nodded as his henge vanished. "Yeah. I want to hurry and get back soon though. Training is over now, and it's time I got to work." His team was complete now, and he had quite a load on his plate. The locations of the Sound Bases should have been pinpointed and it was time to get ready to strike. He was as ready as he was going to be, and it was time to go after Orochimaru and Sound. The pieces were set, and it was time to make the first move to start the game.

His eyes went a hard and serious as he looked out over the path ahead. It would not be an easy path, but it was one he and his team was now prepared to take. When he returned to Konohagakure, Team Seven would officially be on the job.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: A taste of things to come...


	41. Chapter 41

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 41

Death from the Darkness.

OooOOooOO

It was a quiet clear day in Konohagakure. The village bustled with the usual business. It was about three days since the end of the exams in Kumogakure. A group walked through the gates of the village.

Tsunade smiled as she looked them all over as they strolled into the street together. "We're home."

The students and their instructors all turned to look at her. Each looking worn from the journey, some less so than others. "That was something else." Yuugao smiled with her three charges standing around her.

The Fifth Hokage nodded. "That it was. You're all free to go now. It will be a few days before the results arrive. You all did well, and brought honor to the village."

Ino grinned and puffed her chest out. Sasuke and Sakura stayed at Tsunade's side. "No way I failed." She'd come out on top in the tournament and was confident that she passed.

Sasuke removed his mask and gave her a dark smirk. "You'd better hope not."

Sakura nodded and did the same, each of them hooking their mask on their belts under their cloaks. "Yeah. You know what happens if you did."

The blond girl scowled at them both. "Jerks. You saw enough to know better. I'll shave my head if I failed." She jerked her thumb at her ponytail.

Rock Lee flushed as he looked at the pink haired kunoichi at the Hokage's side. He lowered his eyes and balled up his fist. "Sakura, she's become so strong." She wasn't paying him any attention though, and didn't seem to notice his presence.

Neji frowned at him, but didn't speak up. He turned and started walking away. Ayume looked on as he started back towards the Hyuga compound. She growled and balled up her fist as she hung her head and went after him at a much slower pace. She wasn't looking forward to reporting her failure to the clan head.

Tenten gave a heavy sigh and scratched at her neck looking a little dejected. "Next time, I guess. No way I passed this time."

Genji and Ryoji both seemed relaxed. The taller of the pair spoke up. "I'm just glad that's over with."

The brunette boy nodded and stretched his arms behind his head. "Tell me about it. I'm heading home."

Sasuke looked over and frowned at them both. "They'd better have passed. After all the trouble I went to tutoring them. I'll kill them both if they didn't."

Tsunade seemed amused as she glanced at him. "Sasuke, you're not saying that you're going to murder two village ninja in front of the Hokage are you?"

Sakura gave a small cough. "I'm sure he was speaking figuratively, Tsunade sensei."

The woman smirked and noticed Sasuke looked away and didn't comment. "All right you two. You're both free to go." She looked over towards Ino. "Yamanaka."

The blond girl was chatting with Yuugao and looked back at her. "Yes, Hokage?"

"You're to report to Anko with Sasuke and Sakura tomorrow for duty. Regardless of the outcome, you're an ANBU, and it's time for you to begin your duties."

She smiled and nodded. "Of course." Her face fell a little. "Naruto isn't here though. I'm guessing I'll be on guard duty again?"

Tsunade nodded. "You won't be taking any field missions without your Jounin just yet. As Chunin, you'll be taking individual missions of course. Just not right away, you'll be given the opportunity to adjust a bit first."

Sakura seemed surprised. "I thought he couldn't take missions?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. I won't be giving them to him, but if he wants to help you out with the ones I give his team..."

Sasuke got a knowing grin. "In other words, you still give him missions, just not officially, or directly."

She smirked at that. "I can't comment on that I'm afraid." She started walking away leaving the trio standing there.

The raven haired boy yawned and started walking off. He spoke up before either of the girls did. "No, I'm not hanging out with anyone. I'm going to get some sleep. I was on watch most of last night." They both looked like they were about to speak up, but their faces fell a little and they closed their mouths.

"Great. Now what?" grumbled Ino with a small sigh.

Sakura gave a shrug. "I'm going home. I figured you'd be running back to tell your Mom and Dad about it all. You won the tournament after all. Only because I wasn't competing, but I guess you did pretty good."

The blond girl narrowed her eyes and smirked. "Yeah? We'll see about that. Don't go acting all high and mighty now. What are you gonna do, heal me to death?"

The pink haired kunoichi glared back. "You're a glorified hypnotist. Don't forget who has to patch you up when you get clobbered by someone else. I may have to fix you in the end, but I don't have to be gentle about it."

Ino turned her nose up. "Whatever. I'm heading home. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I'll be there." She wasn't excused from any duties since her training had finished. She was still seeing Tsunade for her medic training, but since her ANBU induction was completed, she now had time to pick up a few shifts of guard duty and take up other responsibilities as well. They all had to spend a bit of time doing administrative work in the offices as well.

The blond girl watched her teammate move off and smirked shaking her head. She hoped she'd get the opportunity to fight Sakura one day, but the time of the tests and tournaments of their youth had passed. She was now a fully fledged ninja, and confident of her status as a Chunin. She was already an ANBU, and the only thing left for her to attain was Jounin status.

She'd not really stopped to think about it before. She was barely fourteen, and had already achieved a status her father had not gained until his twenties. She'd actually forgotten about her birthday, and had spent it on the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. It had just hit her. "Huh. I'm fourteen now?" The days of the last year had blown by at an amazing rate. She looked up at the sky as she walked home. Her eyes darted to her right, she became a blur of motion.

A yellow trail of hair landed in the ground where she had been and she put up her forearm as a leg slammed into her. Without thinking, purely on instinct, she shifted her weight and wrapped her hands around the limb, throwing the attacker away from her.

The figure grunted in surprise and turned around, finding an empty road. "What the? OOF!"

Ino came at him from the side, slamming her foot into his gut and then planting her palm into his chin. The man was laid out across the ground on his back and swept at her feet. She was already gone though and smirked as she flipped into the air over him.

The now familiar man tried to roll aside but looked down at his arms and legs. They were pinned into place with six kunai knives. Ino had the blade of a ninjato across his throat and was sitting with her legs crossed next to him looking down the road. She smiled at him and seemed pleased. "Hi, Joden. It's been a long time."

The man blinked and looked at her. "Yes, it has." He was a bit dumbstruck.

She put the weapon away in the scabbard behind her back and dusted off her hands as she stood up. "What the hell are you doing anyway? Jumping out at me that way?"

The man had some of his long blond hair tied in a ponytail on top of his head, and the rest hung freely down his back. His forehead protector was strapped across his forehead, and he smirked at his position, pulling the kunai up and tossing them back to Ino. "Well, it was less fun for me than I had anticipated. I heard you went off to take your Chunin exam."

She caught them all and narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah. So I did. I kicked everyone's ass and won the tournament."

He gave a smirk and nodded. "I believe it. You've grown since I last saw you."

The girl shook her head. "That's what happens when you take off for so long. Been running around as an ANBU I hear?"

"Yes, I have." He nodded and walked beside her towards her home. "You know I can't talk about it."

She arched her eyebrow and lifted her sleeve up to show him the mark on her arm. "Yeah, you can. How are things? You haven't visited in ages."

The man smiled at her. "I know. I'm just teasing you. Maybe we'll get the chance to work together? I heard about what happened with you and your team. Yojimbo is still catching flack over that mess in the woods. You and your friends made a lot of people look pretty bad."

The girl giggled. "Yeah. I noticed. I just did the same thing to you. What were you thinking? You're lucky I recognized you before I cut your head off you dope."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I was going easy on you. Don't forget, I'm a Jounin. I still outrank you." It was easy to see he was amused. "You're still not a Chunin yet."

She nodded at him. "I hope so, you're going to embarrass our clan if it's really that easy. Besides, there's no way I failed that exam. I beat the crap out of everyone. There were some strong Genin, but after the ANBU training, it wasn't much of a problem."

He slapped her back. "I'm glad to hear it." He became serious. "You're a real Ninja now Ino. You'll be treated like an adult. I hope you're ready. I came by to have a look at you, it's been a long time since I've seen you. I heard about you coming back today, and that you'd completed ANBU training. I wanted to see what had become of you for myself."

She nodded and got a confident smile on her face. "Are you still worried?"

He gave a nod. "Yes. Just not as much. Good luck Ino, you'll need it."

She shook her head. "There's no such thing as luck. If' I'm going to be successful, I've got to make it happen myself."

Joden gave a nod. "Huh. You might turn out all right after all. I'll see you around. I've got to head back. Welcome to the ANBU." He slapped her on the back and leaned in. "It's Fu now by the way, not Joden."

She blinked. "Huh? Fu? They make you change your name?"

He grinned at her. "There's still things I can't tell you about, even as another ANBU. You probably won't have to do that. Not unless you get into specific departments. I can't really say more."

The teen nodded and smiled at him. "Oh. Okay, Fu then. See you later."

"I'm sure you will." The man jumped away and became a blur of motion before vanishing from sight.

Ino paused in the road and looked about. There was a small pop and a muttered curse from a nearby tree. Her lips turned up in a satisfied smile. The minor explosive note he'd tried to slap on her back had gone off. It was the sort used to blow small locks, but was often used for ninja pranks as well. She'd put it on the back of his pants when he wasn't paying attention. Some sort of attempt at hazing she'd figured. "Hope I don't have to put up with too much of that sort of thing." She'd have to stay on guard.

A moment later her home came into view. Her father was waiting on her with a grin on his face. He had his arms crossed and was leaning against the fence to the yard. "Ino."

She smiled as she approached him. "Daddy."

Inoichi stood upright and put his hands in his pockets. "How did it go? Did you enjoy your trip?"

She gave him a huge beaming grin as she pulled a gold medal out of her pocket and lifted it up hanging from her fist to show him. "I kicked everyone's ass! There's no way I failed!" She gave him a thumbs up with her other hand.

He grabbed her in a hug and lifted her into his arms. "That's my girl!" He was very pleased to hear it.

She grabbed him around his neck and kicked her feet. "It was great! Kumogakure was really impressive."

He set her down and put his hand on her head. "Really now? I've not seen it in many years. You'll have to tell me about it."

She nodded. "Yeah. There were some really strong shinobi. It wasn't easy."

The man chuckled at that. He was beaming with pride. Nara and Choza both had a habit of teasing him about having a girl instead of a boy. He couldn't mention it, but he knew Ino was a Chunin already. The Hokage had mentioned that she only needed to make it to the finals to become one. Since she had already cleared ANBU training, it was decided that she would be one regardless of the outcome of the tournament. Shikamaru was a Chunin as well, but he wasn't an ANBU, and Ino had outdone both of his former teammate's children in her ninja career. Being an ANBU was considered a fastrack to Jounin level. Winning the Chunin Exam Finals Tournament was yet another thing to hold over their heads.

He squatted down and put his hands on her shoulders. "Ino, I am very proud of you. You have brought great honor to the Yamanaka clan. I am glad to proudly call you my daughter."

The girl sniffled as she teared up. "Come on Daddy, don't be so..." She wiped her eyes and smiled at him.

He chuckled at that. "All right. Come on. I'm sure your mother will want to hear about it as well."

She jumped up and down. "Yeah! I got some really cute outfits in Kumogakure. I can't wait to show her!" She ran to the door.

Inoichi looked down at his daughter as they entered the door together. "What was with that pose you made when you showed me your medal anyway? Have you been hanging around Maito Gai?"

She blushed and paused, playing with the ground at her feet. "A little. Yuugao sensei is friends with him."

Her father chuckled at that. "Well, don't go overboard. He has a tendency to overdo things. He's a bit weird."

OooOOooOO

Neji and Ayume were both curled up on the floor in front of Hiashi. They were in intense pain, and covered in sweat.

The man was not pleased, and was glaring down at them both. "You failed me. An opportunity like this may never come again."

Neji chuckled through his pain.

Hiashi stood to his feet and frowned at him. The boy grunted in pain as his curse seal flared to life again. "You think this is funny do you?"

Neji looked up at him, his eyes unable to open from exhaustion from his torture. "You fool."

The man scowled down at him. "What?"

Neji gasped. "You sent two Genin to kill an ANBU, and you expected success?"

Ayume was still in pain, but it had lessened. "Shut up, you idiot." Hiashi had let up on her, and was focused on Neji alone.

The boy closed his eyes. "Kill me then. It doesn't make what you did any less foolish. We never stood a chance against her. Her training is beyond ours. I tried to kill her, I did my best to succeed. I didn't do it for you though."

The man turned his back to the boy. "Why then?"

Neji growled, unable to stand or sit up. "I want to be...strong. I'm not afraid of Uzumaki, or his team. I want to be stronger than them. Not cover up what he's accomplished and wallow in my own weakness, hoping no one else discovers what they have done when they are gone."

Hiashi walked back to his seat at the front of the room. "You don't know what you're talking about, boy."

Neji gave a weak laugh. "Yes I do. Even if you kill him, even if you destroy this thing he can do. You'll still be as weak as you are now."

The man nodded. "You do not understand. We remain strong by destroying those who oppose us. We must eliminate any threat to our power, before it can become strong enough to weaken us. In time, you will learn this truth. Fortune favored us when the Uchiha clan was destroyed. Sasuke alone will not be able to revive his clan. The ways of the Uchiha are now lost, leaving us as the strongest clan in Konoha. Her survival depends upon the strength of the Hyuuga bloodline, and I intend to make sure it remains that way." Hiashi had a cold smile on his face. "Sasuke is obsessed with his revenge. It will consume him, destroy him, and even if he succeeds, he will never be able to bring his clan back to it's former glory. We are now too strong for even the Sharingan to overtake. It will be a thousand years before the Uchiha can regain their former strength again. By then, the Hyuuga will be far beyond them."

Neji pushed himself up with his arms, looking at the head of the Main Branch. "Kumogakure has regained the Eye of the Soul. Tell me old man, how will destroying Uzumaki and his friends help you with that? They are out of our reach, and it almost destroyed us in the past. We do not have the Uchiha to bail us out this time."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes. "We'll deal with that soon enough. It is of no real threat. Like the Uchiha, one little girl will not overtake us. It will be generations before the Eye of the Soul is of any threat to our clan, much less the village. There is plenty of time to take care of that problem. It won't be allowed to stand, and sooner or later, we'll find a way to get to her."

The boy snorted. "Just like Kumo can get to us? Uzumaki's technique can beat it. The Yamanaka girl destroyed her. Maybe we don't have the Uchiha, but Konoha has them, and we cannot defend them from that Jutsu. The Hokage will not trust our ability to do so. Our past failure has not faded. I saw the look on her face, I know why she went to Kumo to watch."

Hiashi looked about ready to send him to the floor again, but held back. "Why is that?"

Neji had managed to sit up and glare at him. "She knew about that Jutsu. She knew Kumo had it. She wanted to see how effective her new weapon was against Kumo's strongest hand. Why do you think she risked so many of us in Kumo, even knowing of their past with us? We were there to face that Kumo girl. She was testing us, and that Ino girl, against it. We failed, she didn't. That is not good for our position."

Hiashi closed his eyes and seemed to calm. "I see."

Neji was on his knees with his head hung as he gasped. "Do you trust that the Hyuuga clan is more valuable to her than that? A weapon that has failed Konohagakure in the past? Against a weapon that is effective against both the Byakugan and the Manako No Reikan? Why should she favor us, especially considering the technique obviously is not bloodline related. It appears as though anyone can learn it. How long do you think it will take to spread? If you try to destroy this, try to stop it, she will cut off your hands, maybe even your head, and you know it."

The clan head glared at him in a cold merciless fashion. "You question our value?"

The boy looked up at him. "It doesn't matter if I do. I'm just a tool. The question you should be asking is, does she?" He gave the man a dark look. "You're a fool if you don't think the answer is 'yes'."

The man stood up again. He stepped between the pair. Ayume was still curled up on the floor and gasping. He took a glance at her as he walked by and didn't look back at Neji. "I expect you to be gone when I return. I don't want to see either one of you again until I summon for you. Expect that to be a while."

Neji staggered to his feet. It took him a moment to regain his balance. He got himself together a little and bent down to help Ayume.

"Asshole. What were you thinking?" grumbled the girl.

The boy frowned at her. "He knows I'm right. Why do you think he stopped torturing us and left us?" He put her arm around his shoulders. "Come on. I don't think it will be that long before I see him again. You've had enough of this, I doubt he'll bother with you again."

"Jerk," grumbled the girl in irritation. She hoped he was right though. She'd had enough, and would be perfectly happy if she didn't see Hyuuga Hiashi again for a very long time.

Neji looked over his shoulder. The old man was standing in front of the koi pond looking down at the water with his hands behind his back and a frown on his face. He smirked as he dragged his cousin back to her room. After that, he'd get some rest, but not too much. He had training to see to.

Hiashi looked over at the pair as they left the main hall. "The boy is right. I must act with caution. This is a dangerous time for the Hyuuga clan." The memory of what happened to the Uchiha was far from forgotten in the village. He remembered those dark times very well.

He looked on as the fish in the pond seemed to kiss the water. Eating the mayflies that landed on the surface. "I cannot be seen as a threat to Konoha, nor can I openly oppose the Hokage. However, I cannot ignore this threat. The Hyuuga cannot be made obsolete. Whatever the cost, we must remain strong. Our position, our livelyhood is at stake, and I cannot allow us to fall. The blood and eyes so many fought and died for, will not become a mere novelty, nothing more than a trick that it seemed anyone could be taught."

He stood there for a long time. Uzumaki and his friends were not invincible. However, the boy had proven to be a difficult and dangerous opponent. There had to be a way, some way to be rid of him, and bury the technique for good.

He had time, but he could not wait forever. It must be made to seem useless, weak, exposed for what it was. Nothing but a cheap trick. For every technique, there was a counter, for every problem, a solution. He had to find the answer, and quickly. Before his problem grew out of control and spread too far to be contained.

One thing he could not deny, was that he was afraid. Afraid for the future of the Hyuuga, and afraid for what his actions might lead to. He looked towards where Neji and Ayume had gone and scowled. He had not enjoyed doing that to them. Neji did not understand the position his clan had been put in because of this 'shadow technique'. He felt it was necessary to make the boy understand just how grave his failure was. Unfortunately, he did not think he succeeded.

Neji was angry, he felt used. He did not understand what his own father had died for. Hiashi felt he must do what he could to make the boy understand. Do everything he could to aid him in seeing the truth.

Naruto had invited him to try, and the fact that he'd failed even in the face of that was a hard blow to the clan. The Uzumaki boy knew he was jockeying for a position of favor with the new Hokage. He knew very well what was at stake and what he was fighting for. It was honor, political power within Konoha, and a matter of who's sword the Hokage would trust when push came to shove.

The Uzumaki boy was turning out to be a far more dangerous and cunning opponent than he'd ever imagined such a boy could be. He was far more clever than he should have been for his age. Planning out tactics and fighting in a battle was one thing, but he had an understanding of politics far beyond his years.

Hiashi closed his eyes and thought on it hard. If worse came to worst, he knew he was risking his own neck. He had no intention of putting the clan itself in danger. Though, he'd gladly give his own life for the honor of the Hyuuga and it's position within the village. The lives of a few, for the sake of the many, for the future of the clan, was not too great a price.

He needed to keep an eye on Neji. He was angry and becoming defiant. He'd calmed for a short time, and he knew what his father had given his life up for. Though, it seemed he still did not understand it. "Perhaps it was a mistake to use him in this?" It had seemed like a good idea, as he appeared to have something if a rivalry with Uzumaki to begin with.

It was too late now though. He'd done what he'd done, and Neji now had focused on defeating the boy. Perhaps not a bad thing, but it still worried him because of the boy's attitude. He thought of himself as a tool, being used. What did he expect? He was a Shinobi, it was no different for him as it was for any other Hyuuga. He served the village of Konohagakure, and they had become the top servants. Now that position was in danger, and he had no intention of giving it up without a fight.

OooOOooOO

"Where the hell is Yamanaka?" growled a crotchety looking older man. He was stocky and had several scars on his face. His hair was graying and he looked to be in his mid fifties. One of his legs was wooden, and he was seated behind a desk and pounding a huge meaty fist on the surface in a private office. Outside his door was a maze of cubicles with the bustle of men and women running about, doing the paperwork that kept the ANBU moving.

"Right here, Mr. Otoniri." The blond girl had several folders in her arms and was standing right next to his desk. "Did you need something?"

He blinked in surprise and looked over at her. "Oh. Where is the red report? I asked for it twenty minutes ago."

"On your desk, it's been there at least a half an hour, sir." She replied simply as she pointed it out.

"I thought I asked you to bring me some more coffee," he muttered as his eyes fell on a folder with a red tab on the side.

"Your cup is already full." She replied in a monotone voice.

He lifted it up and sipped at it as he opened the folder. "Who made this coffee?"

"Haruno made it," replied the blond. He opened his mouth to speak again. She handed him a folder with a blue tab before he said anything.

"Oh. That's all then." He turned to tell her, but she was already gone. "How the hell?" he grumbled as he turned back to his work. "Uchiha!" He bellowed.

"Right here." Sasuke looked annoyed. His arms were crossed and his mood was sour. The office was fortunate he didn't have any kunai. Of course, everyone there was disarmed as a standard practice. They'd learned their lesson about having armed ninja dealing with administrative duties in the past. "What do you want?"

The old man frowned at him. He liked the kid's attitude, but it wouldn't do to show it. "I want that inventory done within an hour."

The black haired boy put a filled out inventory sheet on his desk. "It's done."

"Oh. Uchiha, there you are. Where have you been? Mr. Otoniri asked me to tell you to take inventory..."

The man looked up at the woman in business clothes who poked her head into the room. She was in her thirties and had her hair done up in a bun. "He just handed it in."

She blinked in surprise. "Oh. Good. Has anyone seen Haruno? I need her to run upstairs for me..."

"She's right behind you." Mitarashi Anko smirked as she walked up to the scene just outside the door.

The pink haired kunoichi had a stack of papers in her arms. "You needed this, right?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Oh. Yes. I was just about to ask you to go and fetch these for me."

Uchiha was already gone when the old man looked over to where he'd been. Anko walked into his office as the woman moved off and Sakura was nowhere to be seen. The woman sat down in the chair across from his desk. "How are Team Shadow working out?"

Otoniri gave a snort. "They pop up out of nowhere. The only time I've seen any of them is when I was giving them an assignment. Half the time, I don't even notice they've done something. It just appears on my desk. They have a tendency to just vanish and don't pop up again until I need something."

The woman shrugged. "Sorry about that. You get used to it."

The old man grinned. "Are you kidding? It's wonderful! First batch of fresh meat I've ever had that wasn't constantly under foot. Half the staff doesn't even know they're here. Hell, I'm not even sure most of the time."

Anko gave a nod. "Yes. They're a bit specialized."

Otoniri shook his head. "Why are we wasting them here? They should be in the field."

The woman leaned back and relaxed. "They'll be gone in a couple of days. Their team leader is out of the village for a moment doing some diplomatic work."

"Are you sure about that?" The old man arched his eyebrow.

Anko smirked. "Pretty sure. Impressive, aren't they?"

The stocky man chuckled. "I suppose they are. What brings you?"

The kunoichi glanced over her shoulder. "Word is, there's something going on with the Hyuuga. We've been told to keep an eye on things. No specifics yet, but the Hokage is interested in keeping tabs on what they're up too."

The old man wiped his chin and sat back. "That sounds familiar."

Anko gave a nod. "Hopefully it won't come to that. The last thing the village needs is another mess like the Uchiha clan. We can expect them to be aware they've got eyes on them."

Otoniri nodded. "That new team might..."

The woman shook her head. "They're too involved. We need someone else."

The man frowned at her. "I see. What can you tell me about this?"

Anko leaned in. "Not much. We don't want a lot of rumors flying about. They know to keep quiet about it, but word is, Hyuuga Hiashi is looking to get rid of certain interests within the village."

Otoniri understood what she meant. The Hyuuga were gunning for someone within the village they saw as a threat. Probably his new interns. "Why would they want to do that?"

Anko shrugged. "I can't say more. It's just speculation, but what Hiashi thinks is good for his clan, might not be so good for the village as a whole. I'm thinking that's the Hokage's reasoning."

He scratched at his chin and scowled a bit. "How much do the Police Force know about this?"

She smirked at him. "Well, they're aware we're watching the Hyuuga at the Hokage's request. I think it's upset them a little, but.."

The man scratched at the stubble on his chin. "Right. The Hyuuga were quick to step in and fill the void the Uchiha clan left behind. There are a lot of them in the Police Force, too many to trust them to watch that particular clan."

Anko frowned a bit at that. "Right. It's no big secret. Besides, I think Hiashi has put the word out not to interfere. I'm sure he remembers what happened to the Uchiha clan as much as anyone else. The official story is that Itachi murdered them all, and he did, but..."

The old man nodded. "We all know what they were up too. They ANBU and the Third were keeping a close eye on the situation. It's probably what drove Itachi to do what he did. All right, I'll do what I can. I'll have some people look into it, and have a weekly report on the Hokage's desk until further notice."

The woman gave a nod. "Good. That's all I needed to hear, but I didn't actually hear it." She gave him a wink and left his office.

Otoniri gave a heavy sigh. "Shit. I got a feeling this might turn into a real mess." He hoped he was wrong. Still, his gut told him otherwise.

OooOOooOO

Naruto Uzumaki was walking through the woods with his three companions. He'd left Kumogakure the day before. His path was clear ahead, he had several clones scouting his route back to Konoha. The boy had crossed the border into Fire Country a few hours before, and still had a bit more than a day's worth of travel before he made it to the village.

He'd remained female until he left Lighting Country. His trip had taught him quite a bit, and he was glad he made it. He'd learned a few unexpected things, and the trip back had been pretty quiet. He made small talk with the kitsune, and they were all relaxed. He stopped walking and looked at his hand for a long moment.

The kitsune all sat down and looked back at him. "What's up, Highness?" asked Koruma. They were all foxes at the moment and panted lazily around him.

He looked at the trio and gave a small sigh. "What happened to me anyway?"

"Huh?" muttered Kira. "What do you mean?"

He narrowed his eyes at them all. "I know you jerks know something. A henge doesn't transform me like that. It just fools the eyes. I was really a girl. I got all hot because of my fur when I was a fox inside. This is weird."

Masara looked shifty. "What do you mean, Highness? Why is that weird?"

He hung his head and gave a heavy sigh. "Are you kidding me? I turned into a girl. I didn't just look like a girl, all the parts worked."

Koruma flinched a bit. "Are you sure?"

He narrowed his eyes at them. "I had lesbian sex with one of the delegates. Yeah. I'm pretty sure."

Kira rolled onto her back and wagged her tails. "It was fun though!"

The young ninja sat down on top of a nearby boulder and crossed his arms. "Look. Mizu should have figured out something was weird when she reached between my legs and noticed that what was there wasn't what she could see. The Genjutsu can keep someone from noticing even with a little contact, but there's no way she should have been able to do something like that and not notice. I mean, my fur was keeping me warm outside. I'm not that oblivious. What's going on here?"

Koruma piped up. "Maybe she did, but just didn't care?"

Naruto shook his head. "No way. She put that vibrating thing in it, remember? What's with you jerks? What are you hiding? What the hell happened to me back there?"

Masara chuckled. "I think he's on to us guys."

Kira sighed. "Oh well. It was fun while it lasted."

"Huh?" Naruto looked annoyed.

Koruma walked up and sat in front of him. "Remember when we told you we were just here to train the prince, so he could use his powers?"

"Yeah." Naruto shrugged.

Masara sat down next to his companion and seemed pleased. "Well, we weren't being very honest. We're supposed to train you too, and we have been."

"Huh?" The shinobi's eyes went a little wide. "What the hell do you mean? I can't do Kitsune magic. You said so..."

Kira giggled. "Well, not exactly. You're only part Kitsune. You can do some stuff. Like transform like we can."

Naruto had gone a little pale. "P-part...kitsune?"

Masara nodded. "Yeah, about half."

The boy stood up and looked annoyed. "My Mom and Dad were both human! How can I be..."

Koruma shrugged. "You signed a contract with the Queen. She made a few...improvements."

"Improvements!" Naruto was shocked. "What do you mean 'improvements'? She never said anything about..."

Kira cocked her head. "Well, it's in the fine print. Humans don't last very long. You wouldn't be a very good king if you only survived a human lifespan. It'd be like Konoha making someone Hokage when they knew they would only be alive for a week. It'd be a bit pointless."

Naruto froze and looked at them with wide eyes. "Wait. What?"

Koruma looked up at him and let his tongue hang out. "Well, assuming you don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed, you're gonna be around for quite a while, Highness."

The boy slumped down back onto the rock on his rear. "I...I...I'm part Kitsune?"

Masara looked up at him. "Well, you -are- supposed to be our king, remember?"

Naruto seemed to think on it. "So, what sort of stuff can I do?"

Koruma shrugged. "Well, using a Henge is a lot more effective for you than a normal human. Genjutsu will probably work a little better too. We're not sure about that, but it still won't be anything like what we can do. You've got to be a full Kitsune to do the kind of illusions we can. That transformation of yours, the Fox King one, is actually a true second form. I mean, how you look now is still your 'real' body and all, but when you turn into a fox, that's a 'real' form too. Better night vision, hearing, smell, claws and teeth, you can run faster, that sort of thing."

Masara looked at them. "It'll make using Genjutsu a little easier, but you're not very good at that sort of thing to begin with. So, it doesn't matter much."

Kira sat down next to him on the boulder. "It's why you've still got so much chakra without the Queen. You'd never be able to make that many shadow clones if you were all human without her."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. You'd never have been able to open that gate to Shadow Realm if you were just human."

Masara nodded. "He's right. I'm surprised you haven't put this together already to be honest. You're a pretty clever human. You can open any Kitsune gates, dispel our magic and see through it, and use things that only our kind can. You're one of us after all, our King in fact."

The boy was wide eyed and confused. "That's not so bad. What's this about 'being around for a while' anyway? I'm immortal or something?"

Koruma shrugged. "If you take care of yourself, you can expect to be around for a few thousand years. You won't live forever or anything. At least, I don't think so."

Naruto gave a nod. "How many is 'a few'?"

Masara seemed to think on it. "Four or five thousand. The record is Nine thousand. I'm not sure about the Queen, but she's a special case, and I'm not about to ask her how old she is. Most of our kind don't live past a couple of hundred years, but if we're lucky enough to live more than eight hundred years, we usually stick around for at least two or three thousand years."

The young ninja had gotten rather pale and gave a slow nod. "Oh. Okay." He shook his head. "Wait. Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Kira cocked her head. "This was way funnier."

Koruma chuckled. "Yeah. You should see the look on your face."

Masara was snickering at him as well. "Yeah. Totally worth it. It was much more fun to let you figure it out for yourself."

Koruma looked at the three tailed fox. "I owe you a lunch. I didn't think he'd figure it out for a couple more years."

Kira frowned at them both. "Hey. You should have let me in on the pool."

Masara shrugged. "Sorry. We made the bet right before we introduced ourselves to him."

The four tailed fox nodded. "Yeah. Hadn't thought about it since. That was a fun day though. The look on his face was almost as good as the one he's got now!"

Naruto hung his head. He very much wanted to get home now. He'd had about as much as he could take. "Great. You jerks." He started staggering back towards Konoha. The three kitsune followed behind him looking pleased with themselves. He didn't know what to think of it. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad, or get his head around what they had told him.

The three tails trotted up beside him. "Cheer up, Highness. You're pretty lucky."

The four tails looked to agree. "He's right you know. You're gonna be around for a long time. We'll have lots of fun for centuries. The first couple are the hardest, but once you get used to it, it's great."

Kira looked a bit more wary. "I guess. That's what everyone says. I'm only a little more than two hundred. I've got to admit, it is getting easier. She looked up at him. You're really lucky Highness, you've already got nine tails. I'm not very strong, and it's still kind of dangerous for me with only two."

Naruto flashed them all a slightly sour frown. There wasn't a lot of heat in it though. "I'm not human. How would you all feel if you found out you were only half kitsune?"

Masara shrugged. "Depends on what the other half was. Wouldn't be so bad if I was half dragon or something."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. You made out pretty good, Highness. Being a kitsune is great."

Kira looked pleased. "You're still half human, Highness. It's not like you've got to give anything up, right?"

Naruto looked serious. "I'm not so sure about that. I don't know what to think of this." He trudged forward. "I'll be fine. I guess I ain't hurt or nuthin. I just need to think about it for a bit I guess."

The three tails shook his head. "What's to think about? It's the best of both worlds."

The four tails nodded. "He's right you know. You've got it pretty good by either standard. You're a strong shinobi, and as a kitsune, you've already got nine tails, and you're king. Quit griping. You should be thinking about how awesome it is that you're so damn lucky."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah, yeah. I said I'd be fine. This is weird though. I guess I don't feel any different." He glared at them all. "This isn't a good thing to surprise someone with."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. That's part of the reason we waited on you to start figuring it out on your own before we told you."

Masara looked cheerful. "We admit we thought it was funny, but Koruma and I have been around for a while. We knew better than to try and just drop it on your head right away. Relax, Highness, you'll be fine. We're here to help you out with this sort of stuff. You've got a pretty good handle on it already anyway."

Kira giggled. "Yeah. He's doing much better than I thought he would."

The ninja nodded. "All right. Let's just get back. I've got a lot to do when I get back, and I wanna see Kitsuma for a bit before I run off again."

OooOOooOO

Uchiha Sasuke liked guard duty. Especially by himself. Sometimes he ended up paired with another, and would have to make a bit of small talk at the beginning of a shift. It annoyed him a little when that happened, but in the end, they always ended up standing quietly, guarding whatever it was in silence.

It was much better than playing intern at the office with Sakura and Ino. Which was exactly what he was doing. They made something of a game of it, figuring out what they were supposed to be doing before they were asked. Getting it done, handing it in, and moving on to the next task. He hated games though, and it was annoying. Less annoying than talking to the other office workers and getting ordered around, but still, it was the principal of it.

As a result he'd overheard some of the conversation between Anko and Otoniri. It wasn't anything he didn't already know though. He wasn't stupid, and he'd figured out that some of his family had been up to something at the time. It didn't matter much now though, and Itachi would suffer for what he'd done regardless. "The same eyes..."

He squeezed his eyes shut and frowned in the shadows out of sight. It wasn't a happy memory, and thinking about those times hadn't done anything for his mood. There was nothing he could do at the moment. "Hate me...curse me..."

He needed some fresh air and found his way to the rooftop of the office complex. It wasn't as large as the nearby Police Station, but was tall enough to give a good view of Konohagakure. "What am I doing?" he growled as he balled up his fist. "I'm not getting any stronger here. I'm just, wasting my time."

He leaned against the edge of the building and looked out across the rooftops. "Then why are you still here?" he asked himself. "What are you waiting for?"

He closed his eyes, seeing the strange Sharigan in his brother's eyes again. "Not enough...hatefulness..."

The boy shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned as he looked out over the rooftops and at the mountain with the faces of the former Hokage carved into it. "Because you're not strong enough yet, and you know it." It was frustrating, but he couldn't deny that he was growing stronger. It wasn't good enough though, Itachi was still beyond him. Still too far away, still too strong, still too distant.

Naruto's voice floated through his mind. "Itachi has years of experience and training over you. You're not going to defeat him without the patience to take the time and put out the effort to catch up."

He started to turn back, but noticed Sakura sitting next to him. "Hey."

"Shouldn't you be..." he started.

She frowned at him and arched her eyebrow. "Who are you to talk?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned away from her. "Just wanted some air. I'm heading back."

She watched him go and continued to sit on the edge of the roof. "Sure thing. It's quite the view." She had a smile on her face as she realized he didn't notice she was there. He walked back into the building through the door to the stairs.

"Sasuke! Imagine meeting you here! Are you taking a break too?" Ino's voice came up from the stairwell.

"Get out of my way." The pink haired kunoichi didn't have to be there to know what his reaction would be. "I've got to get back to work."

Ino had a grin on her face that fell as soon as she stepped out onto the roof and saw Sakura sitting there. "Hey. What are you doing up here?"

Her rival smirked at her. "I was just taking a break with Sasuke, we were sitting here looking at the view together."

The blond kunoichi scowled at her. "Is...is that so?" She tossed her hair and glared at the back of the calm looking Sakura's skull. "Naruto should be back soon."

The other girl nodded. "I know. He'll probably be a pain when he gets back. His three friends will probably tease him the whole time." She smiled back at the blond. "We should relax while we can. I'm kind of enjoying such light duty. I've got to go and train with Tsunade and Shizune for the rest of today." She was Tsunade's student, but Shizune helped her out a bit by tutoring or watching over her lessons on occasion.

Ino nodded and hopped up next to her. "I guess I see your point. We're, not kids anymore. All of us are full fledged ninja now. It's the real thing from here on out."

Her teammate looked a bit surprised with her. "Hey. You're still a Genin you know. We've not gotten official word back yet."

The blond narrowed her eyes at her. "You were there. Don't go acting like you don't know better. There's no way I failed."

Sakura chuckled at that. "Well, it's possible you did. They don't always pick someone. I'd be surprised if you didn't though. I'm just teasing. Though, I'll hold you to shaving your head if you didn't."

Ino frowned at her. "I'm not worried."

The pink haired girl jumped off her seat. "Come on then. It's time we got back to work."

Sasuke was leaning against the door looking at the both of them with a frown on his face. He put up his hand as Ino started forward. "Don't get too excited. I'm just here to tell you our shift is over."

The pink haired girl looked surprised. "Huh? That late already?" It was still early in the afternoon. The sun was high overhead, but it was at least a couple of hours past noon if their shift at the office was ending.

The dark haired boy nodded and opened the door. "Yeah. See you two later. I've got a guard shift this afternoon." He looked over his shoulder. "Ino, you're to report to the Hokage's office."

OooOOooOO

The blond girl stood before the Hokage with a grin on her face. "Yes Ma'am." In her hand was her Chunin vest. She put it on and zipped it up.

Tsunade looked serious. "This is a huge responsibility. I am placing a great deal of trust in you. More than the others who came to see me today. You bear the weight not only of Chunin rank, but also that of the ANBU."

The girl had her chest puffed out and nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

The Fifth smirked as she looked the girl up and down while standing behind her desk. "You answer to me now, directly. You are one of my elite, the best of the best, my personal guard and my right hand. I expect you to take your duties seriously."

Ino was at attention with her eyes firmly forward. "I will."

Tsunade walked around the desk and put her hands on the blond girl's shoulders. "You're still young. We've not had ANBU as young as you and your team for many years. There are reasons for that. Yamanaka Ino, you must understand, that because of this, more will be expected of you and your team. You must be better than the others, you must work harder, achieve more, and excel in all areas. You must have discipline and maturity beyond your years. As an ANBU, a Chunin, and a Kunoichi, you are now an adult. I expect that to reflect in your behavior."

Ino gave a serious nod. "I shall do my best."

The woman nodded. "I demand nothing less of you. You must understand that what I say I say in the most serious way. Failure for you can mean death. Punishment for ANBU is much more strict and severe than other shinobi. There are no games here, it will not be unfair, but it will be firm. You are not allowed to turn down an order, you cannot refuse a mission, and you know that penalties for running your mouth are far more severe for you than they have been in the past. I cannot stress this enough Yamanaka, you are now an adult. You will be treated like one."

The girl looked very serious as her jaw became hard and her eyes cold. She simply gave a nod.

Tsunade sat behind her desk. "You will not be living with your parents anymore. I've arranged for accommodations for you. I hope you understand that you'll not be seeing much of them in the future. You now have your own life to live, your own duties to see to, and you must be responsible for yourself."

That caught her by surprise. "I'll have my own place?" She wasn't sure what to make of that. "Oh."

Tsunade frowned at her. "Is that a problem?"

Ino shook her head. "No, Ma'am. I guess I hadn't really thought about it. I didn't realize it was the sort of thing I'd get assigned."

The Hokage seemed to accept that explanation. "Yes. It's time to leave the nest. I'd rather not have you at home. It's not forbidden, but given your age, I'd rather have you separated from your family. Parents can be overprotective, and a bit nosy. You're an adult Yamanaka, any restrictions placed on minors within the village no longer apply to you. You'll be required to take life to fulfill your duty, and risk your own on a regular basis. It's a privilege of your position. If you're old enough to handle being in the ANBU and the responsibilities of Chunin, you're old enough to handle a stiff drink and get laid every now and then if you wish."

Ino flushed a little and gave a weak looking nod. "Um, yeah."

"Congratulations," said a familiar voice. Ino gasped and turned to see Naruto standing beside her with his arms crossed.

The blond looked surprised. Tsunade smirked from behind her folded hands. The Fifth spoke up. "I suppose everything is in order then."

Ino looked at the Jounin. "You're back then?"

He seemed cheerful and gave a nod. "That's right. I just arrived a short while ago. Thought it might be fun to watch you squirm for a few minutes."

The girl tossed her hair. "I knew I passed. I wasn't worried a bit."

Tsunade gave a nod. "We had an unusual number of applicants pass. Your two friends both made the cut, as well as Hyuuga Neji. It's been several years since we've had so many Chunin as a result of a single exam. Though I admit, the fact that we lost several Chunin level ninja in the recent attack on Konoha just before the Third retired again had a little to do with it as well. There were positions that needed filling, and I might have been a bit more strict in my assessment if that weren't the case. Still, I feel all four of our recent promotions can handle it."

Naruto gave a nod. "That's good to hear."

Tsunade smirked. "Uzumaki, I've got your intelligence report. I'll speak with you about it tomorrow. Get some rest, it will probably be a day or two before I have enough personnel anyway. There are a lot of ninja on missions at the moment. I want to discuss your plans before any action is taken."

He had his arms crossed and nodded. "What time should I come by to speak with you?"

She seemed to think on it for a moment. "Around ten or so."

The boy gave a nod. "All right. I'll see you then." He motioned for Ino to follow him.

She seemed to straighten up and almost scurried after the Jounin.

Tsunade sat back and looked thoughtful as she watched them leave. She frowned a little and looked down at her paperwork again. There was still a lot to do for the day. Still, it was hard to take her mind off her new ANBU team. She hoped very much it wasn't something she would regret. They were all very young, well trained indeed, but young. What Naruto wanted to do was something even a seasoned ANBU captain would have difficulty with.

The boy wanted to make a coordinated strike on five different places at once. A direct attack agaist several targets within Fire Country. It was a logistical nightmare, a complex, dangerous, and difficult operation.

It worried her a little that it might be too much for him and his team. It would not be a small scale operation, and she would have to take a very large risk. It was something she needed to think about. Though, right then was not the best time.

OooOOooOO

Uchiha Sasuke stood on a branch in the woods of Konoha. He was on patrol, and taking a small rest in the woods looking out over the land surrounding the village. There were regular patrols through the wood near the village wall. ANBU didn't patrol the streets themselves, that was the duty of the Police Force, but the defensive wall and outer perimeter of the village were the responsibility of the ANBU. They also guarded a few secure locations within government buildings, such as the Hokage's personal quarters, her office, the restricted library, and a the counsel chambers and offices, and a few other sensitive government offices.

The other ANBU he'd met seemed to enjoy these duties. He was getting sick of them though. They considered them light and relaxing, he found them long and boring. He supposed after a bit of time in the field he might enjoy them more, but as it was, he felt like he was still doing D ranked missions as a Genin. Technically they weren't missions, just duties, and they weren't given any credit aside from a paycheck for doing them.

He was munching on a curry flavored snack in a paper wrapper and shoved the remainder of it into his mouth. He stood up and brushed a bit of bark off his rear. He wasn't breaking any rules taking a little rest there, but he couldn't linger too long either. "What's up, Kakashi sensei?"

The gray haired ninja was standing over his head with his arms crossed. "Not much. Just thought I'd drop by and say hello. I'm just getting back from a mission myself."

Sasuke nodded and opened his palm. He held up the wrapper and blew between his fingers onto it, causing it to burn up. It was probably what had given his position away in the first place. Naruto would probably have been cross with him, for being so careless. Sasuke noticed that the boy always wrapped any food he was carrying with him with cloth or plastic containers, and removed any paper or plastic wrapping before hand. He even put dry rags in with food in plastic containers. It had never dawned on him why until that moment. It was noise reduction, and the cloth inside the containers he used was to keep anything he kept in them from rattling about. "Huh. Have to remember that."

Kakashi arched his eyebrow at the muttering. "So, how are things going? Are you adjusting well to life in the ANBU?"

The boy shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's been pretty boring so far, nothing difficult or anything. Not since training anyway."

His former instructor nodded. "That's good. You'll learn to enjoy times like this once you're more experienced."

The boy put his mask on. "That's what I keep hearing." He gave a small wave and pulled his cloak hood back over his head. "I'll see you. I've got a patrol to make."

The gray haired ninja nodded. "He's calmed down a lot. That's good. Not so impatient as he was."

OooOOooOO

A good distance away from the scene, four figures looked on and watched. "There he is."

"Don't fucking screw this up." Growled the lone female.

The large hulking figure, the largest of them all nodded in agreement. "Tayuya is right. We won't survive if we mess up again."

"You don't need to remind us," growled the light haired man in frustration. He had a scar on his cheek and rubbed at it reflexively. "I doubt any of us has forgotten."

The fourth was a slim man with black hair that was very short, where it had once been a ponytail. "Right. No playing games with this one. Don't forget our orders."

They all jumped away in pursuit of their prey.

OooOOooOO

It wasn't very long before Sasuke was standing in a clearing. He had his hand behind his back and a frown on his face behind his mask. Four ninja had landed all around him, each one leering at him. His hand was on the ninjato over his left shoulder and he knew the ninja surrounding him. He'd seen them all before, on the attack on Konoha that had occurred during his first Chunin Exam.

"Hello," said the short haired leader. His skin was pale and he looked like he'd been recently burned on the left side of his face.

"You're trespassing. I'd ask you to leave, but I'm afraid I can't just let you go."

The ninja surrounding him gave a collective chuckle. The male that looked a bit like a girl was also more scarred than the last time he'd seen him. "It's a shame really. This one is pissing me off already."

Tayuya, the only female, and the least roughed up looking of the group frowned at him. "Shut up you fucking idiot."

Sasuke relaxed a little, but didn't take his hand off his blade. "What the hell do you want? Who the hell are you?" They hadn't rushed him yet, but were boxing him in on all sides.

The dark haired boy scowled at him. "We're the Four Sounds. I am the East Gate's Kidomaru."

The big one spoke up next, he had nasty looking blood bruises on his face. Large purple marks under his eye and across his cheek. "South Gate's Jirobo." He had red hair in a mowhawk.

The boy with the long dark blue gray hair and most feminine features spoke up. "West Gate's Sakon."

The redheaded girl introduced herself last. "North Gate's Tayuya." She glanced at her companions.

Sasuke snorted. "Are you going to come in quietly, or do I have to beat the shit out of you all and drag you in by force?"

The dark haired man gave a snort. "Stop posing punk. We know about you, but even you couldn't take us all."

Sasuke took his hand off his sword and stood tall.

The long haired man chuckled at that. "So, he does have something of a brain. That's good."

Kidomaru frowned. "Nah. He's just not very good with a sword."

"He means to attack us then?" rumbled Jirobo.

Sakon put up his hand. "Come on then, I'll play a song on his ribs. Sa-Fa-La-Mi-Re-Do..."

The masked boy jumped out of the way and hooked a kick at the long haired boy's head as he was charged. The kick connected and Sasuke bounced off his opponent's jaw and then careened off a tree.

"Shit!" cried Tayuya as she jumped out of the way as he passed by her. She skittered back on her hands as three kunai planted themselves into the ground just behind her. Her back hit a tree and she gasped as the last one impaled the ground in front of her crotch. "You...you fucking..." she started to screech.

Kidomaru spit a web onto her shoulder and jerked her out of the way as another of the knives impacted where her head had been.

Jirobo frowned as he faced the boy as he landed. "This one is troublesome."

"No! He's mine!" growled Sakon as he charged Sasuke head on.

The masked boy jumped into the air and put his fingers up to the open mouth on his mask. "Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu!" A huge jet of flames shot out of his mask massing in a huge ball of flames. The four Sound ninja scattered jumping apart.

"Fucking trash!" screamed Tayuya in rage.

Jirobo frowned at her and narrowed his eyes. "Where is he? Don't lose sight of him!"

Sakon glared up at the nearby trees. "He won't escape!" He pushed off the ground and rushed into the trees.

The masked ninja spoke up from directly behind him. "Escape? From you losers? Don't be stupid." The blue haired ninja looked shocked for a moment.

Sasuke grunted as he took a shot to his lower back and narrowly missed being punched in the back of his head as he hopped away. "What the?"

Sakon narrowed his eyes at the boy. "I see you're going to be a bit of trouble. Good, it's no fun if it's too easy!"

The pair clashed, Sasuke attacked him, but his strikes were blocked. The Sound ninja growled through his teeth. "Not bad! I..." His opponent grabbed a branch and swung himself around and under his opponent. Sakon had his hands and feet in an iron grip and found himself tossed onto the forest floor before he could let go. "Shit!" He sidestepped several kunai from above and skidded to a halt amongst the leaves.

Sasuke landed opposite him, with the other three standing behind their companion looking cautious and annoyed.

Kidomaru growled. "Hurry up Sakon. We don't have time for delays. Finish this up now, so we can..."

The blue gray haired boy glared at him. "Shut the hell up! It's a shame I can't kill him, but I'll not be rushed! I want to enjoy breaking his body!"

Jirobo scowled. "He's to be damaged as little as possible."

Sakon snarled as he charged again. "Yeah. Well we need to break his arms and legs to get him to come quietly!"

Sasuke gave a short laugh. "Idiot."

Kidomaru started forward. "Sakon! Look out!"

"Eh?" muttered the boy in surprise as he stumbled. "Oh, shi..." A tree branch snapped out and slapped him in the face. He had a heavy dark mark across his jaw. "Fuh! I shink da bastard boke mah jal!" He put his hand back and gasped as he felt another wire. "What the?"

Sasuke was standing in the middle of a web of traps. All of the Kunai he'd thrown had a thin wire attached to it, and he'd linked them up to several simple traps. Sakon jumped high into the tree branches as an explosive note went off beside him. "Snhky, trsh." He landed and set himself as he narrowed his eyes.

Kidamaru growled. "That's enough! We don't have time to play with him. Everyone, Curse Seals now!" Strange markings were starting to grow across his face.

Tayuya gave a rough snort. "It's about fucking time. We should have taken care of this trash already." The pattern was different, hers were more jagged and straight.

Sakon had set his own jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. They watered up, but not a single tear fell from his eyes as the markings crawled across his face as well. She was getting what appeared to be spots. "What's the harm in having a little fun? It will be really satisfying now." His wound appeared to have healed, at least well enough that he could speak normally again.

Jiboro nodded. "It old you, we shouldn't mess around. It's best to get it over and done with."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. None of them could see his expression, but it was clear he was confused and surprised by his body language. "What the hell?"

"Get him!" cried Kidomaru. He had six arms, and had spit a hooked kunai like weapon into each one. They had solidified in place.

"Crap," growled Sasuke in frustration. He ducked and dodged around as the spider ninja started throwing the weapons at him.

Sakon moved with incredible speed, far more than he had before. He assaulted the unfortunate boy and chased him about the clearing. Sasuke was able to dodge, but barely so, and only by using the trees and brush as cover. The wood was heavily dented, and thick branches were being broken with ease from the blue gray haired boy's blows.

The masked ninja spun around a tree, there was the sound of metal sliding against wood, and then a splattering.

"Gaaaaahhhh!" screamed Sakon as his eyes went wide. He pushed himself back out of the way and screamed in pain again as Sasuke came around the other side of the tree and slashed upwards with the ninjato. "You...you fucking..." The boy's bangs fell off, revealing burn scars on the side of his face that had been hidden.

"Holy shit!" cried Tayuya as she slid to a stop. Sakon was missing a leg, and his hand was gone. She landed on her rear as a mess of throwing stars impacted the tree behind her.

"Enough!" cried Jirobo as he slammed his fists into the ground. A ten meter area around him shattered and cracked.

"My fucking leg! My Goddamn hand! I'll kill that fucking trash!" Sakon was enraged. His hand and arm appeared to have grown back.

Sasuke arched his eyebrow at the sight of it. Another arm and leg appeared to have slid out of the two wounds replacing the limbs he'd just cut off. He put his fingers up and another huge ball of flame erupted between them as he went airborne to avoid the big one's attack.

Kidomaru spit a web at him, but it was burned up. It also prevented the fire from driving him and his companions apart again. "You're starting to sound like Tayuya. Shut the hell up, we need him alive, and intact."

Sakon scowled at the ninja that had landed on the tree branches above them. "Orochimaru won't mind if I break his arms and legs."

Jirobo growled. "Stop fighting, one opponent is enough. We need to finish this!"

Sasuke wasn't moving, he was hanging by his feet under a particularly large branch. Sakon had gathered up his severed arm and leg. "Ukon, you're going to have to take over for a bit. I've got to fix this. Fuck! It stings!" His hair grew out again, this time on the opposite side.

The strange boy looked at his companions. "I'll let you guys handle this. I'm not used to being in charge."

Sasuke was getting annoyed. "What is with these weirdos?" He noticed the six armed boy was gone. "Uh-oh." His feet released the branch and he pushed off the one below him with his hands as the boy slashed at him. "Cocky punk!"

Jirobo snagged his ankle and pulled him off the tree before his swing was completed. He tried to slice into the large boy with his sword, but gasped as it hit a thick leathery hide. The fat ninja had changed, and looked considerably less human. He had two small horns over his eyes, and his hair had grown longer. "What the?" The masked ninja felt weak all of a sudden, and his sword dropped from his hands. "Gah. What is this?" His eyes went wide as he remembered the fat one from before. He could drain chakra.

The large monstrous looking ninja frowned. "What? That's it? I'm not getting anymore from this one. It's pathetic, seems he's used up most of his chakra just holding us off this long."

Sasuke had shut down his chakra flow, but gradually enough that it seemed like he'd just been mostly drained. He hung from the thing's grip.

The other Sound ninja stood around him. They crossed their arms and posed. Tayuya gave a snort. "That was kind of pathetic."

Ukon growled. "The puppy has teeth. Sakon's going to be busy for a while fixing up what he did. I can't believe he's already done though. Are you sure?"

Jirobo nodded. "If I take much more of his chakra, he'll pass out. There's nothing to speak of. You know how I hate leaving a meal unfinished, but we're not supposed to kill him."

"Heh. Yeah, that's obvious." Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he hung by his ankle from the fat one's grip.

The heavy ninja narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky. I'm the kind one, you're in no position to be making jokes."

Ukon hooked his fist across his jaw, the boy's mask fell off and bounced across the dirt. "Trash. You wouldn't have lasted ten seconds if we had intended to kill you."

Kidomaru pulled back on the angry long haired boy's shoulder. "That's enough. Uchiha Sasuke, you're pathetic, weak, nothing. How long do you intend to remain here growing fat and weak in this pathetic village?"

The ANBU turned his eyes towards him. "What do you mean?"

Tayuya crossed her arms. "You'll always be weak like everyone else here. Come with us, Orochimaru will give you strength."

Sakon slugged him in the gut. Sasuke flew from Jirobo's grip and hit a nearby tree back first. He grunted in pain and squeezed his eyes shut. "Hold it...together...Sasuke..." he muttered to himself. He pushed off where he'd landed on his knees while holding his gut.

Ukon balled up his fist. "Decide. I'll spell it out for you. There is no delaying, you have to say now. Will you come?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the group as it loomed over him. "No thanks, I've already gotten a better offer." He staggered to his feet. "I'm not really all that impressed."

Kidomaru frowned. "Seems he hasn't gotten it yet. He doesn't realize just how outclassed he is."

Tayuya gave a small snort. "Fuck him then. We'll just bring him by force."

Jirobo nodded. "He's too weak to resist. We're far beyond his power. He's got no chakra left to speak of."

The raven haired boy started shaking. The four Sound nin looked confused. One by one they got angry, even Jirobo looked annoyed.

"What's so funny?" snarled Kidomaru as he lifted the boy up by his shirt.

"You know, maybe Orochimaru did make you stronger, but he can't fix stupid." Sasuke was laughing at them. Not in a jovial way as if he thought something was funny. He was mocking them openly and fearlessly.

Udon cracked his knuckles. "We'll see how funny you think it is once we break your jaw. Enough of this, I'm tired of playing around. Break his arms and legs, and if he doesn't shut up, break his jaw. Kabuto can mend him up when we get back."

Sasuke shook his head and had a somewhat crazed grin on his face. "You idiots. Haven't you figured it out yet?"

The four ninja all seemed to tense up and looked around. Kidomaru growled as his eyes darted around. "Shit! We're..."

Tayuya backed in between the three boys. "What? No way!"

"Yeah." Sasuke vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving them alone in the open. Another of the boy stepped out ahead of them. "You've been chasing around a clone all this time. It was just stalling you, while I went for backup."

A kunoichi in a cat mask was looking on from the branches overhead. "Good job, Uchiha."

Another in a wolf mask was barely visible in the shadows of some nearby brush. "Huh. What do you know? The rookie has gone and caught himself a whole team."

Another in a dog mask nodded. "Sound Ninja. They've got a lot of nerve showing up here."

Hatake Kakashi was crouched above the scene with a pair of kunai in his grip. He looked quite pleased. "Well, we should try and catch at least one of them alive. I'm sure Ibiki would love to have a chat with them."

Sasuke nodded. "The fat one is stupid, the girl is foul mouthed, and the cross dresser has a nasty temper. Six arms is our best bet for viable intelligence."

Kidomaru narrowed his eyes. "Everyone, level two. Forget about Uchiha. We've got to..."

Tayuya had her flute out and set herself behind her companions to support. "We can't go back without him. I'd rather die here."

"She's right," growled Ukon. "Shit, that jerk would leave me in charge at a time like this."

The woman in the cat mask tensed herself and drew the sword from her back. The ninjato were part of the ANBU uniform. Many of them never used them, but all of them wore them. The wolf and dog mask didn't bother. The kunoichi spoke up. "I have a score to settle with Sound. An open wound, that has not yet healed."

Kakashi nodded. "Don't forget, they are more valuable alive."

The sound ninja began to change in appearance. They all began to look more monstrous, as their skin darkened and became almost leathery in appearance. They all grew horns, and appeared to grow in size as well.

Sasuke set himself and narrowed his eyes. "They're stronger in this form, a lot more. The fat one drains chakra. Six arms can make webs and weapons from his spit. The cross dresser uses some weird sort of Taijutsu. The foul mouthed bitch is support of some sort, she's hung back the whole time. Might be a medic, not sure."

Sasuke pointed at the blue gray haired Ukon. "I've got a score to settle with the cross dresser."

Kidomaru frowned. "Five on four, hardly fair."

The raven haired boy pointed his sword at them. "I'm a ninja, not a samurai, if I'm in a fair fight, I've already failed."

Ukon scowled at him. "He meant it's unfair to you. You'll need at least twice this many if even one of you is to survive!"

Tayuya put her flute up to her lips and prepared to start playing. Her frustration was clear in her thoughts. "Damn. There's no backing down. Fucking prick! We can't leave without him." She glared at Sasuke.

Kidomaru gave a snort. "Let's get this over with. Don't forget, Uchiha is not to be damaged. Kill the rest."

Jirobo put his fist into his palm. "Hopefully, I'll get a decent meal out of this."

The wolf masked ANBU took charge of the group. "All right, don't let any of them escape. Capture or kill, none of them gets away."

Kakashi nodded. "Shall we begin?"

Jirobo stalked forward. "Yes, lets."

Ukon glared at Sasuke. "I'll deal with Uchiha. The rest of you, worry about distracting the others."

Kidomaru gave a nod. "Alive." He sucked in a breath and started spitting net like webs.

Ukon glared at him, but gave a quick nod in reply as he charged at the raven haired ANBU.

OooOOooOO

TBC..

Next Time: Well, that's fairly obvious...


	42. Chapter 42

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 42

Total victory.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke dashed back through the woods surrounding Konohagakure. The oni like curse sealed ninja was hot on his heels. "Stop running coward!"

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and smirked. He became a blur of motion and vanished from sight in front of his eyes.

The frustrated Sound nin skidded to a halt and growled as he looked around. "What the? Another damn clone? What is it with this village? Are they all cowards?" He balled up his fist and slammed it into the side of a tree. The bark crumbled away as he pulled his hand away and stood there looking into the shadows. "Come out and fight!"

Sasuke looked on from above and behind him in the shadows of the tree branches. "Heh."

Ukon whirled around and glared up at him. "There you are!" He leaped into the air after his prey.

Sasuke jumped down and met him in mid air, the pair collided and their attacks did little more than throw them both apart, each landed opposite the other and slid back in the dirt a few feet. The Konoha ninja was wearing his tiger mask again and chuckled.

"What's so funny? I'm losing my patience with you," growled the enemy ninja.

The tiger mask clad boy put his fingers in front of the mouth of his mask. "Why should I care? Great Fireball!" A huge jet of flames erupted between the pair, curling around the tree trunks.

Ukon went above it and bounced off the branches over the attack towards the exposed Leaf ninja. "Cocky bastard."

The Uchiha boy thrust his leg up before his enemy landed on top of him. Ukon took a hard shot to the gut and bounced across the dirt. He rolled onto his side and looked around. Sasuke was gone again. "What's the matter? Afraid to stand and fight me head on?"

Sasuke's voice came from behind him and he was forced to flip to his feet and dash back a bit to avoid several kunai. "What are you? A samurai? Fight like a ninja, you loser."

"What did you say?" snarled the enraged monster as it flexed it's claws. "I'll rip your legs off when I get my hands on you!"

"But you won't kill me, will you?" said a voice that now sounded like it was coming from his right. The Sound ninja narrowed his eyes and didn't face it. "I see, throwing your voice to throw me off?" He hooked a kick and Sasuke ducked and rolled back with a kunai in his grip. "Pathetic, I won't fall for such a cheap trick." He balled up his fists. "You should be grateful. You'd be dead already if Orochimaru didn't want you. I'll take you to him by force."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at that. "I'd like to see you try. Oh, wait. You already are."

Ukon snarled. "I'm going to hurt you very badly. You'll forgive me though, once Orochimaru shows you what real strength is."

The ANBU gave a snort. "I've already seen how he treats his allies. My true enemy is stronger than him, and I see no reason to believe he can help me defeat him."

Ukon grinned. "Well, I don't care about that. I don't intend to fail." He charged forward again and attacked.

Sasuke kept on the defensive, blocking the speedy strikes and ducking.

Ukon hopped back and gasped. The Leaf ninja had avoided not only his strikes, but the hidden ones his brother had attempted to land as well. "What?"

The tiger mask clad ANBU stood tall and looked over at him with a confident air about him. "You can't fool my eyes. I've seen through your attack." It was fucking weird, it seemed like the guy could grow extra limbs somehow. Nothing he couldn't handle though.

Ukon snarled. "I see. You're still weak though, this form is a hundred times stronger than you could ever hope to be."

OooOOooOO

Kakashi rushed at the six armed ninja as Sasuke ran off away from the area with the oni like creature following him. The ninja he decided to target appeared similar to a spider and backed away from him keeping his distance. The creature tossed his weapons at him and pulled more from his mouth as he did so, but he dodged with little difficulty and closed the distance between them. "Surrender now, or I can't guarantee your safety."

Kidomaru frowned at him. "Damn, this one is at a high level." He ducked a kick and jumped up, tossing net like webs to slow his opponent. "I've got to be careful, but if I win, I'll be regarded on another level."

The Leaf ninja dashed aside avoiding the projectiles. "I wouldn't count on that. You're a Chunin level at best."

The boy flipped up onto a branch and threw several more of the blade like weapons at his opponent. "The Cursed Seal makes me a hundred times stronger."

Kakashi landed on a tree branch directly in front of him. "I see. It does nothing to improve your skill though. Relying on power alone will only get a ninja killed."

Kidomaru scowled at him and threw a few more of the bladed weapons. The branch his opponent was crouching on was sheared off, but the gray haired ninja had already jumped off.

The spider ninja took a kick to his chest and barely managed to land on his feet as he fumbled and flipped before hitting the ground. "Heh. I barely felt that."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. His feet were set between a net of webbing the boy had left behind to try and slow him. "Clever, but you're still green."

Kodomaru smirked up at him. "Maybe. You don't seem to have noticed my real trap though."

Kakashi jumped back as a three foot wide spider tried to land on top of him. Green goo flew into the air as the creature fell away dead as the Leaf Jounin flipped back and landed with two kunai in his grip. He set himself and narrowed his eyes as he waved his arms.

The spider ninja ducked out of the way of the kunai and bounced off a nearby tree trunk back into the canopy above. He relaxed and gave a small sigh. "This one could be troublesome." He looked up and around. They had moved off from the others and he was on the edge of an open clearing.

OooOOooOO

Tayuya frowned as she dashed away. She'd managed to draw one of the ANBU after her as well. It was a man in a wolf mask, he was powerfully built. "Tch. One should pose no trouble." Her cursed form was that of a demoness. She was fast enough to stay ahead of him and moved up into the branches away from her opponent in an attempt to lose him long enough to put enough distance to start her attack. He was proving difficult to shake though. "Fucking trash. Making things difficult."

The man growled at that. "You expect me to make things easy?" He moved forward in a burst of speed.

The demon girl spun and tried to kick at him, but he dodged and slammed his fist into her gut sending her sprawling out onto the forest floor. She landed on her hands and knees and growled. "Ouch. Fucking prick."

The wolf ninja stood with his arms crossed above her. He was standing on one of the branches and glaring at her from inside his mask. "Give up. What are you, a medical ninja? I'm a master hunter, and you're out of your league. You're nothing but a group of Chunin in enemy territory. You're outclassed, surrender now, or you might get hurt."

She had gotten to her feet and glared up at him. "You tool. I'm stronger than I look, and I'm not a medical ninja. Sound ninja have no use for the weak. Those who aren't strong enough to survive their missions just die."

The man jumped down and hooked a punch at her. The demon girl nimbly skipped back and pulled a flute from her clothes while bringing it up to her lips.

The Leaf ninja frowned at that. "Genjutsu. How troublesome."

The girl started to play as she used the trees and brush as cover by winding through the wood.

A deafening roar sounded, and three monstrous creatures appeared as she continued to play.

The wolf masked ANBU frowned up at the things. "Interesting."

OooOOooOO

Jirobo was the only Sound ninja who had stood his ground. He found himself faced with a woman in a cat mask in an ANBU uniform. She had long violet hair and pulled the sword off her back. "I don't care about you, leave now and you won't get hurt."

The woman set her feet and growled. "Who do you think you're talking to? You're the trespasser here."

The large leather skinned Sound ninja gave a snort. "I don't care much for fighting girls. If you intend to get in our way, I have no choice but to kill you."

The woman charged forward. "Just like you Sound scum killed Hayate! Did he get in your way as well? I, Uzuki Yuugao, shall avenge Hayate!"

The fat ninja grunted and grabbed the ground. "Earth Prison of Magnificent Nothingness."

A dome of Earth tried to envelop the woman and she jumped back and avoided being encased by a few inches. Rather than stop, she vaulted over the top and slashed with her sword.

Jirobo glared up at her in surprise, but hopped back and lost a bit of hair to the strike. "I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't care." He gripped the ground again, and pulled up a section of it about the size of a small car.

Yuugao darted off to the side as she landed and avoided being flattened against the Earthen dome as it collided with the mass he'd pulled from the ground and crumbled. She put her fingers up to her mask and stood straight with her sword pointed down. "Blinding Sakura Flash." A whirl of flower petals surrounded her and swirled to obscure her.

Jirobo grunted as he looked up in time to spot her descending from above while hacking down at him. The large ninja moved aside, but got a gash on his forearm as he brought it up to block the swipe she took as she landed and hopped back away from him again. "That hurt."

The kunoichi narrowed her eyes at him. "You're faster than you look."

The fat oni like ninja scowled at her. "I am too strong for you." He swiped at one of the nearby trees and sent it crashing down uprooting it with ease.

She rolled aside nimbly and moved between the branches avoiding injury, but getting a few small scratches from twigs that broke off of the branches and debris. A cloud of dust obscured her for a moment.

Jirobo faced her position and narrowed his eyes. He lost track of her for a moment, and tensed as three figures charged him from the dust cloud. "What? More clones?" Konohagakure seemed to have a liking for the technique.

"Dance of the Crescent Moon!" cried the trio as they charged him with their swords ready to strike.

Jirobo froze. His body went cold and he gasped. He had tried to block the trio's attack, but his legs gave out from under him suddenly, and blood escaped from his lips. "What? I..." He fell face first into the dirt and stopped moving, the cursed seal faded from his body. Yuugao was standing on his back, with her sword driven down into the base of his neck from behind, spearing through his spine and into his chest. The three shadows vanished leaving her alone.

The woman stared down at the body and scowled. She pulled out her blade, took a cloth from her uniform's pocket, and wiped it clean. "For Hayate," she whispered as she closed her eyes and lowered her head. After a moment she turned around and started walking away from the body leaving it face down in the dirt.

OooOOooOO

The wolf masked ANBU jumped away. Trees were being splintered and broken in the wake of the three stumbling giants. They were clumsy and slow, but focused on him as a group. He was managing to avoid them with little difficulty, but they were keeping him away from their puppet master.

Tayuya was playing her song and looking on from above and behind them, keeping him on the move and at bay. She was standing among the branches and moved out of sight behind a tree trunk. The Sound floated through the forest and sounded like it was coming from several directions. Distorted by her chakra to keep him from pinpointing her location.

He bounced off the trunk of a large tree and planted his feet in the forehead of the middle creature. They had their eyes and mouths sewn shut. The one to it's right slammed a club into it's companion's face trying to hit him, but he bounced off and grabbed a tree branch above him, swinging out over the forest floor and landing on the side of a tree. He looked up and released his foothold, falling away from a strike from the third.

Tayuya's voice sounded impatient as the music stopped. "You're troublesome. I don't have time to toy with you though. No one has ever survived this melody." She lifted the flute to her lips again and started playing a different sounding tune.

The monsters roared and shook. The Wolf ANBU growled as the stitches on their mouths stretched open and a strange light errupted from within them. It took the form of ethereal looking spirits that left long trails to the mouths of the beasts. They moved much faster and darted at him.

"What is this?" he growled in frustration as he was forced to dash away. The things moved through the trees and after him. Chasing him down relentlessly through the forest canopy. "This isn't good. One of the things brushed his leg and his foot went numb, he stumbled for a moment, but it was fortunate, as it prevented another from passing through his chest. "What?" His eyes went wide as he realized that the chakra in his foot had been absorbed. Another darted after him, and he became a blur of motion. "I see. I can't let them touch me."

The girl's voice spoke up as she stopped playing for a moment. "You'll never find me in time. There's no escape. Just fucking die, trash."

The wolf masked ninja narrowed his eyes. "I see." He landed and crossed his arms. "It is regrettable that I must do this then. It will take a long time for the forest to recover." He spread his arms and slammed his palm into the ground. "Earth Sutra. Roar of Kuni Toko Tachi!"

The ground rumbled and shook, dust rose into the air as the forest quaked violently, trees slammed into the ground all around as the dirt vibrated and quaked for an area about a quarter mile in diameter.

The Leaf ninja fell to one knee panting for breath as the monsters tumbled over. He closed his eyes and focused for a moment as the spirit things faltered as their master stopped playing.

There was a soft coughing, and muttered curses. "Fucking trash."

The wolf ninja's head snapped around and he blurred as his legs thrust him towards the sound in a blur.

Tayuya was staggering out of the branches of a fallen tree. The dust was still settling, and she was about a hundred yards away, grumbling under her breath. "Fucking trash. What a pain in the..." She saw him charging towards her. "Oh shit." She tried to pull the flute up to her lips, but it was too late.

The ANBU slapped her hand, sending the instrument clattering through the fallen trees and twigs. Without a word he grabbed her neck, slammed her against the fallen tree trunk she was standing beside, and punched her dead in the face with his other hand.

"Augh! You son of a bitch!" she screamed.

He didn't let up though, and kept her pinned with one hand while slamming his other into her face over and over. After a few seconds, her legs went rigid, and the leathery skin and horns faded away, leaving her with a bruised face and her eyes closed.

The man removed his mask. He was about thirty years old and had gray eyes and white hair. He glared down at her and kicked her ribs lightly to make sure she was out.

She groaned and looked up at him, giving a weak cough. "How...how did you find me?" He had come out of nowhere.

He gave her a smirk and lifted her up by her throat. "The Uchia and Hyuuga have their eyes, but the Itagaki clan has our ears." He pulled back his hair revealing pointed ears that were a bit larger than a normal man's. "I can hear a pin drop from twenty meters distance, once I disrupted your chakra, it was a mistake to make even the slightest sound." He spun her around and locked her arm behind he back while holding onto the back of her neck with his other hand. "Let's go."

"Yojimbo!" called a female voice.

He turned and glanced at the Cat Masked kunoichi as she landed beside him. "I see you've taken care of things here."

The man nodded. "Yes. Where are Uchiha, Hanara, and Hatake?

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I heard the fight and came this way. They both ran off, I took care of the fat one."

The man frowned and nodded as he kept his prey in an iron grip. "Find the others, I'll take this one back."

She nodded. "All right."

"Jirobo," muttered Tayuya as she got wide eyed. "What happened to Jirobo? You bitch!" She tried to move towards her.

The woman turned to face her, still wearing her mask. "He's dead." Her tone was as cold as ice. "I'd worry about myself if I were you. You've been captured by the enemy. I do not expect your stay here will be pleasant." With that, she turned and moved off into the woods.

"You fucking bitch! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" screamed the girl as tears ran down her face.

Yojimbo had no difficulty keeping his grip. "Come on. Ibiki will be wanting a word with you. Enjoy the walk, you'll not be seeing the outdoors again for quite a while."

OooOOooOO

Kakashi stood in the woods looking around at the treetops. He moved quietly and carefully through the woods. It was clear he was expecting an ambush.

Kidomari was a long distance away, overlooking him from the top of a very tall tree. "Heh." He had a bow he'd made in his hands, and spit a long barbed arrow that he notched into place and drew the weapon back. "Copy ninja Kakashi. Looks like I'm about to level up." He let the arrow fly and smirked.

The gray haired ninja far below gasped as he noticed it. He rolled aside losing part of his uniform's back as he dodged the strike. It pierced clean through the tree trunk he was in front of. He ducked low and looked in the general direction of the strike. "Tch. Not bad, old man. Your luck won't last though."

He notched his second shot and drew back. The thread at the end of the arrow would allow him to control and guide it to it's target. The gray haired ninja had pulled his forehead protector off of his left eye. The spider ninja narrowed his eyes. "So, that's the famed Sharingan? I think it will be fitting to put my shot right through it." He let the arrow fly and it blasted off towards his target. The projectile curved as it near, aiming right at the ninja's head.

Kakashi moved with blinding speed. His head darted out of the way at the last moment, but the passing of the high speed projectile, and impact of it knocked him to the ground on his side.

"Damn. He's got high speed. Not so easy a target." Kidomaru jumped from his perch to another that gave him better visibility, and also to prevent Kakashi from using the direction of his shots to pinpoint him.

He grinned as he notched another arrow and drew back. "I'll aim for the chest this time. He's got to much speed to aim for something so small it seems." He let fly and again the arrow curved towards his target.

Kakashi was knocked off his feet again, he'd managed to dodge a death blow, but his arm was now pinned to the tree trunk behind him.

Kidomaru smirked. "Well, you can't dodge now, can you?" He notched his final shot and drew back again. He didn't need to guide the weapon this time. Just a straight shot at his head. He saw the fearful expression on the man's head as the arrow drew near to impaling his forehead. "Ha. I've just leveled up you bastard!" He never saw the strike hit home and screamed in surprise as his foothold gave way from under his feet.

The spider ninja bounced down the side of the tree, impacting the tree branches on his way down and bouncing off them in a painful looking tumble. He hit the dirt face first and groaned. "Oh. What the hell?" He looked up and saw a pair of legs in front of him. "What?"

Kakashi had his arms crossed and was staring him down. Some sort of metal casing fell away from the boy. It had prevented him from getting injured in his tumble down the tree, but it was obvious the fall had still hurt a bit. "What? No way! I saw..."

The man shook his head. "That was just bunshin no Jutsu. It might not have fooled you close up, but at this distance, it was enough to keep your attention." The man nodded at the shell that had fallen off the boy. "I see your mouth isn't the only place you can create that metal from."

The boy snarled at him and gripped two more of the blade like weapons. "Figured that out did you? How did you find me?"

The man cocked his head. "My dogs, of course."

The boy's face fell a little. "Dogs?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah." The ground around the boy erupted as several various sized dogs jumped up from under the dirt and latched onto his limbs.

Kidomaru screamed in pain as the teeth dug into his flesh. He couldn't move, and hadn't been able to erect his protective shield in time. He was immobilized and looked at the man with wide eyes.

Kakashi held up a small torn cloth between his fingers. "When I attacked you at first, I wasn't aiming for you, but your uniform. With it, I was able to use my friends to track you down while you were focused on my bunshin."

"You...bastard..." The boy snarled as he tried to shake off the animals. They kept their jaws clamped down, and another coat of the metal formed over his exposed body. "You'll never take me in."

"That metal is interesting stuff, but I'm afraid I've got just the thing for it." He walked up and touched the boy on the chest as the dogs released him all at once. His hand was glowing with violet energy and he just placed his palm against him. "I'm a lightning affinity you see."

Kidomaru screamed as he was electrocuted. He slumped down to his knees while smoking as the effects of his cursed seal faded away.

Kakashi looked down at the pack of dogs and smiled. "Thanks for the help. I can take it from here."

"No problem," replied the pug. The animals all left vanishing into the woods.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke was locked in battle with his opponent. The pair collided in the woods near a sheer cliff that dropped off for a little more than a thousand feet onto sharp rocks at the base of the cliff before the woods continued on into distant mountains.

They punched, kicked, and blocked in a stalemate battle. Sakon took shots at him from within his brother as the battle raged on, but Sasuke's speed kept anything but glancing blows from landing. The oni like ninja towered over him and snarled in rage as he took a kick across his jaw and staggered back.

The tiger masked ninja moved in to press his attack, but an arm from the thing's chest reached out of his chest and grabbed his punch.

The raven haired ANBU growled as he realized he'd been caught and started to twist his weight. His eyes went wide and he gasped in shock as Ukon thrust his hands forward and into his chest. The thing seemed to dive into him, leaving no visible injury.

Sakon stood glaring at him, holding his other arm against his chest. It was small and deformed, almost like a baby's arm, and his limbed leg and a similar underdeveloped leg hanging down over the ground. "Heh. We've got you." He released his arm and staggered back on one leg.

Sasuke gasped and looked shocked. "What?"

Ukon's head poked out of his shoulder. "This is my ability. I can invade the body of my opponents. Once inside, I can control everything on a cellular level. I can liquefy your insides in an instant."

Sasuke growled and fell to his knees. "You...what?"

Sakon chuckled. "This fight is over. Come with us quietly now, or my brother will turn your intestines to soup."

The young Chunin grunted in pain and clutched at his belly. Ukon chuckled. "Yes, that's your liver. Just a cramp at the moment, but I could rip it to shreds. Give up, you're..."

Sasuke growled as he stood up and glared at Sakon. The one legged creature looked surprised. "You still intend to fight? You're dumber than I thought."

The Uchiha boy gave a painful smirk. "You've never learned from your past mistakes." He turned towards the cliff and ran over the edge.

"What!?" cried Sakon as he stumbled to reach for him. "No!"

Sasuke spread his arms as he fell aiming dead at the sharp rocky cliff bottom. Ukon was screaming in terror as they neared the bottom. Just before they impacted on a spire of stone, Sasuke vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Ukon falling alone. His scream stopped in an instant as he was impaled on the spire and left a long trail of entrails up to the point through his back. He slumped down and gasped a final time as he died.

Sakon screamed and clutched at his head as he peered over the edge at his brother. "No! Ukon!"

Sasuke stepped out of the tree line and smirked. "Well, do you intend to fight me now then?"

Sakon rolled over on his back and glared at him in a rage. "You bastard. Fuck Orochimaru! You're dead!" He hopped up on his one good leg and lunged at him.

A blur of motion passed between them and the one legged thing fell onto the dirt. His head rolled by Sasuke.

The flutter of an Anbu cloak in the wind caught the raven haired boy's attention. "I had it handled."

The figure in a dog mask nodded. "I see. Forgive the intrusion."

Sasuke kicked the fallen ninja. "No big deal." He turned to face the man and removed his mask. "You know what happened to the others?" He knew him, he'd been on guard duty with him a few times. His name was Hanara Ichimaru.

The other ANBU removed his own mask. He was a fair skinned boy with brown hair and gray eyes. He kept his hair short, but it was unruly and looked unkept. "No. I just managed to catch up to you two. I started following you when this mess started. The Jounin can take care of themselves, us Chunin have to stick together." He gave Sasuke a slight smirk as he peered down at the other dead body.

The raven haired boy nodded. "I guess. I can't really fault you for not wanting to be left out."

Ichimaru nodded. "I'm glad you understand. We should head back and report in. This one is no threat."

Sasuke gave him a cocky looking grin. "Try to keep up."

Hanara gave a snort. "It's not that I was too slow. I see what the rumors about your team are about now, you disappeared on me.. The only way I found you at all was by following this one, er, two...whatever the hell he or they were."

Uchiha put his mask back on and started walking away. "Right. Come on, we should make sure the other three are taken care of."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke was sitting in the back of the Fox Den. He had a beer in front of him and was being quiet and sullen as usual. The people around him were being a little rowdy, but in a light hearted way. He didn't seem too out of place and nursed his drink. He'd never had a beer before, but had a bit of Sake in the past. It wasn't bad, a bit bitter, but he liked that sort of flavor. It seemed to suit him.

Hanara, Uzuki, and Yojimbo were sitting around him with a few other ANBU. Anko was sitting next to her boyfriend at the table as well. Ken was quiet and seemed to enjoy relaxing and let them go about their business. Anko was a little flushed and was leaning into him a bit.

Mitarashi smiled at him and leaned forward. "You did well. Two captured and three killed. Ibiki finally has something to keep him busy for a while. He's gotten board in that cave of his."

The raven haired boy gave a nod. "It was no big deal."

Yuugao seemed quiet as well, but gave him a smirk. "It was a good day."

Yojimbo frowned a little. "Well, I wouldn't call it good. We did our duty, and earned a drink for our efforts at least."

Sakura and Ino walked up, the blond girl had a smirk on her face. "I hear you had quite a day."

Sakura nodded and sat down with the group. "Yeah. It was all over the office. Good job."

The boy gave a grunt. It didn't sound bad tempered though.

Hanara smirked at them. He was about five years older than them. "Well, I can't say you new kids aren't working out."

Yojimbo chuckled at that. "I'm just hope it's enough to shut everyone up about that damn exam."

Sakura flushed. "Well, we're not sorry..."

Ino nodded. "We feel for you though. I wouldn't want to have to catch us either."

"Sasuke." The group turned to see Naruto standing over them. "I just talked with Kakashi. I heard about earlier today."

Sakura seemed surprised. "You just now heard about that?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I've been in a meeting with the Hokage for most of the day."

Yojimbo spoke up. "Kakashi? Where is that bastard anyway? He was there too, he should have a drink with us."

Naruto chuckled at that. "You know how he is."

Hanara pointed out a nearby booth. "There he is."

Yojimbo stood up and walked over to him. "Get over here you brooding loser. We owe you a drink for helping us out."

Kakashi looked up at him and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I just happened to be around. It's nothing, really."

Yuugao grabbed his arm and pulled him out of his seat. "We insist. You captured one of them alive. Come on and help us celebrate our minor victory."

Naruto chuckled as the man was shoved over to the group. He didn't seem to fight very hard. Naruto suspected that they had him when they told him they were buying him a drink. "That cheap dork."

Sasuke was standing next to him. "I've never known him to pass up anything free."

Naruto shrugged. "What the heck. It's on me for the lot of them tonight I guess. No harm in it considering." He looked at his teammate. "Come on. I want to talk with you about today."

Sasuke frowned a bit. "I guess."

A moment later they were sitting next to each other at the bar. Uchiha brought his beer along, he wasn't a heavy drinker, but he'd gotten a small bottle of sake a few times in the past. "What's up?"

Naruto looked at him. "Good job. I didn't expect something like this from you."

His teammate looked annoyed. "What do you mean?"

The blond ninja gave a short snorting laugh. "Are you kidding? I'd expect you to try to bring in the lot of them on your own."

Sasuke seemed to think on that. "Nah."

Uzumaki seemed to relax a little more. "Just doesn't seem like you to go for backup. That's all. Good work, I hope you keep using your head that way."

The black haired boy nodded. "I guess I get what you mean then."

Naruto leaned in. "Why did you? I mean, what made you go for backup?"

Uchiha thought about it for a moment. "My orders are to report any enemy trespassers I find. Capturing or killing intruders is secondary. I was on patrol, it was my duty to report in and find backup before I tried to engage them."

The blond ninja nodded at that. "Oh. I guess it makes sense when you put it that way."

Sasuke frowned at him. "And it didn't before?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess. I wasn't that surprised by it, just didn't seem like you. You're all hot on being strong and doing everything yourself."

The raven haired ninja hung his head and nodded. "When it comes to Itachi, that's what I intend. I'll do my duty as ordered otherwise."

Naruto slapped his back. "I'll remember that. We've got a mission in a few days. I can't give you any details yet, but be ready. Let Sakura and Ino know as well." He hopped off the bar stool and started for the door.

Sasuke finished off his bear and made a slightly sour face. It had gotten a little warm, but it wasn't bad. He glanced back at the table and used the opportunity to slip off.

OooOOooOO

Anko looked a little bleary eyed as she walked into a familiar room. Ibiki was standing in front of a one way window looking on at rooms that Naruto's team knew well.

The man turned to face her, classical music played from a small speaker in the corner near the ceiling as he watched the torture of the captured Sound ninja. They were being questioned, and were not looking very good. Kidomaru was being electrocuted, his ability to create metal weapons and armor was blocked off. The rooms had wards that prevented Chakra use built into the walls. Tayuya was being suspended over hot coals and lowered and raised over them.

Anko arched her eyebrow as she noticed Naruto sitting at the end of the long table in the room. There were several folders laid out in front of him and he glanced up at her. "Good morning."

She gave a nod and sat down. "Uzumaki. I wasn't expecting to see you here so early."

Ibiki glanced back at them both. "He's been here all night."

The boy nodded. "I've got an interest in the intelligence these two can provide. I'm here as an observer, and I've requested they ask about certain information."

The woman looked through the glass at the torture. "How is it going?"

Ibiki frowned. "Nothing we don't already know. They are reluctant to speak, but we've gotten a bit when they slipped up."

Anko looked back at Naruto. "I know what you're up to. I'm handling the details. You're hoping to get information about those Sound bases."

The boy nodded. "That's right. I already know their locations, but I'm interested in the layout and what might be inside."

"You should speak to Kinuta Dosu then." She crossed her arms and stood next to Ibiki.

The blond nodded. "I spoke to him yesterday."

Ibiki nodded. "I worked with him when he first arrived. He was very cooperative. How is he?"

Uzumaki shrugged. "He seemed fine. He said the Third Hokage put in a good word for him, so he's working as a genin on probation. He's not permitted on missions involving Sound ninja, not that it matters much. He's not likely to encounter them as a Genin, and it will be a few years before he's eligible to become a Chunin because of his probation status." He looked down at the pages spread around the folder and flipped through them. "Seemed like a nice guy. I hope things work out for him."

Anko smirked. "Yuugao will be interested in this once word gets out."

Naruto frowned at her. "I don't want her anywhere near it."

That caught the woman off guard. "What? She's a good ninja. She's very skilled."

The boy nodded. "I don't doubt her loyalty, or her ability."

Mitarashi looked a little miffed. She was friends with Yuugao. "Why then? She could be useful."

"The same reason I don't want Dosu along." He replied in a diplomatic tone.

Anko got a bit riled up. "She's trustworthy."

He looked up at her. "She's emotionally involved. Dosu hates Sound and Orochimaru. So does she." He wasn't about to say anything, but he'd not heard about what happened in the woods from other ninja. The Kitsune who had witnessed it told him of it. "She wants revenge for Hayate. I won't fault her for that, but I don't see the need to involve her when there are more than enough capable ninja who can do it without an emotional attachment. I'd rather not take the risk that her emotions will get the better of her when I've got other options, no matter how minor that risk might be."

Anko hung her head a little. "I didn't know you knew about Hayate."

The boy frowned at that. "I've got good sources."

Ibiki smirked at Anko. "He owns the local bar if you'll recall."

She calmed a little. "All right. I see your point."

Ibiki looked over at Anko. "What brings you here anyway? Miss my company?" He didn't sound like he was flirting.

She shook her head. "I'm here to talk to our two prisoners. I'm playing nice interrogator today."

Naruto glanced up at her. "Well, that should be interesting. I wonder how you'll manage to fake that?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Ha. Ha. Ha. It is to laugh."

Ibiki was chuckling as well. "I was wondering that myself."

The woman rolled her eyes. "You're both jerks. Ken seems to think I'm pretty nice."

The blond ninja smiled at that. "He's a bit of a masochist."

Anko twitched a little. "What would you know of that? You're just a kid."

Ibiki was smirking, he hadn't been so amused in a long time.

He shrugged. "I'm the ruler of the biggest group of perverts in the world. There isn't much about sexual deviancy I don't know."

Anko jabbed her finger at him and worked her mouth. She wasn't quite sure what to say to that, and had been rendered speechless.

The blond boy looked cheerful. "There's no way I'm missing this."

She narrowed her eyes at him and pouted. "You've gotten cocky." The rest of his team still called her Anko Sensei. He'd dropped honorifics completely and was pretty informal. He didn't cross the line and overdo it though.

The boy grinned at her. "Yeah. I outrank you now. That helps."

She hung her head and sighed. "Yeah, yeah. You brat. You're still a punk." She'd had her fun, but now it was his turn. Payback was a bitch she supposed, from what she knew of Ken and Ryu, he'd learned a lot about that from them. He was also right about her boyfriend, which annoyed her a little more. Not that she minded much, he was a cute and obedient little boy toy when she got his mask off at night. She left the pair in the room as the interrogators finished up.

OooOOooOO

Tayuya and Kidomaru were sitting across from each other glaring at one another. They were both chained to a long metal table and were sitting in uncomfortable chairs. Neither one was in good shape, their faces and bodies were bruised and there was scabbing from small scratches at various points on them. Both of them still had dried blood on them and they simply looked at each other in a sort of dazed silence.

After a moment, the girl spoke up. "Jirobo is dead."

Her teammate nodded. "Yeah."

She looked up at him. "Have you seen Sakon or Ukon?"

He lowered his eyes and scowled, not answering.

Tayuya gave a nod. "I see. We'll join them soon enough then."

"Not necessarily."

The pair turned their heads. A woman had walked in with a smile on her face. She was wearing a long coat with a fishnet shirt and shorts. Her hair was pinned up behind her head and she sat down in a far more comfortable looking chair than either of them had. It was on wheels and she slid up to the middle of the table out of reach of either of them.

Kidomaru glared at her. "As soon as Orochimaru realizes we've been captured, we'll be killed."

She smirked at him. "How do you expect him to reach you in here?"

Tayuya scowled at her. "You'll see. We're already dead, you just don't know it yet."

She nodded. "Yes, yes. You have no will of your own. He controls all aspects of your body, and he can kill you with his mind with the power of your cursed seals. I've heard all that before."

The two Sound ninja scowled at her. The boy spoke up. "So why bother capturing us then? You know we'll die anyway. It doesn't matter how much you hurt us, we'll be dead soon, and it won't matter anymore."

She cocked her head and seemed cheerful. "Why? It's fairly simple. Everything he told you about those cursed seals is a lie." She chuckled. "He doesn't have the power to kill you with his mind. He can't see what you're doing, and he's got no control over your will. That's all just a mind game, to keep you under his control."

Tayuya growled at her and clutched the edge of the table. "What would fucking trash like you know?"

Anko's smile became more predatory. "Because, if it was true, I'd have been dead years ago, and I never would have been able to turn on him." She pulled her coat down and showed her the mark near her throat.

The pair got wide eyed and gasped in unison as they looked at her. The markings were unmistakable.

Anko leaned over the table. "We can seal it up you know. It's not good for you to use it. He told you that much at least. It feeds off your own power, and will shorten your life if you keep using it. You're nothing but pawns to him you know. He doesn't care a lick about you, you're just tools to get him what he wants."

Kidomaru snarled. "He's...going to give us a better future. Sound will become powerful, you'll see."

The woman shook her head. "He doesn't care about Sound. Don't you know him? He used to be a Leaf ninja you know. One of the Legendary three. He betrayed us all in his boneheaded quest to become immortal, used me as he's using you, and turned against everyone who cared about him. He's nothing but a power hungry warmonger, looking for revenge on the village that tried to punish him for his crimes. Do you know how many people died researching these seals? How many people he tortured and murdered for that sick meat puppet he's become? He's an abomination, and he'll leave you all to die the moment it gives him an advantage."

Tayuya was glaring at the table and her lip was quivering. Kidomaru had much the same expression and was grinding his teeth together. The boy spoke up. "He is the leader of Sound. We will die for him."

She laid a folder on the table and opened it. "Yes. I know. Just like these two. Recognize them? He murdered them both, to perform a forbidden jutsu in an attempt to assassinate the Hokage." She gave each of them copies of two photos.

Kidomaru turned his head away. He did know them. It was Kin and Zaku. The genin sent to the Chunin exams in the failed attack on the village they were now being held in.

Tayuya growled at the pictures. "Yeah. So? What do we care for these weaklings? Only the strong survive in Sound."

Anko nodded and smiled at her. "I know that. As far as Orochimaru is concerned, the only one who is strong in Sound is him. He couldn't stand it if anyone was a rival to his power, and he'd kill anyone who did well enough to threaten it. I know better than you think, I've been in your position."

Kidomaru gave a snort. "Really, did Konoha capture and torture you as well?"

Their interrogator nodded. "Yes, they did. I came out of it wanting revenge, but it was not Konoha who betrayed and abandoned me. If he sends anyone they will be here to kill you, not help you. How will that make you stronger, how will that make your future better? He's not going to bring the Land of Rice into power. The other nations have noticed what's going on, and he will only bring death and ruin to your home."

The both of them scowled at her, but remained silent.

Anko stood up and smiled at them. "The more you cooperate, the more comfortable your stay will be. I can't promise that your people will not suffer, but if you really want to help them, you'll help us get rid of him. Pulling a thorn from your side is painful, but if you do not, it can do far more serious harm." She leaned forward and gave them a pleasant smile. "Now, what shall we talk about?"

OooOOooOO

Four hours later the pair sat in silence as she left them. Neither one spoke a word, they just sat and stared down at the photos she left behind. Neither one had said anything after their initial talk, but both kept glancing at the pictures she had set out in front of them. Neither one looked like they wanted to touch them.

She had prodded and tried to engage them, but they just closed up. The whole affair had been civil, and she'd remained calm and pleasant through it all.

Naruto turned and looked at her as she walked back into the observation room. "Huh. I'm impressed."

Anko nodded. "They'll be stewing over that for a while."

Ibiki nodded. "Yes. They'll be getting one meal a day and sitting alone in their cells for the next two or three days. We'll give them a week to think about this before we start using negative interrogation again. I'll let you know if anything comes of it, but I doubt it will gain us anything useful for at least a couple of days."

Naruto closed his eyes. "Well, I suppose I've learned everything I can." He glanced over at Anko. "I'll drop by your office later and go over the details of our mission."

She looked serious as she watched the pair being taken back to their cells. "All right. I'll see you then. I've got to file a report and turn in a transcript."

OooOOooOO

A lone man walked down a concrete hallway. It was a long passageway with several doors along it. Fluorescent lights lit the passageway every ten feet or so, hung suspended from wires on the ceiling above. He was a ninja of about twenty five, and had a music note in the center of his forehead protector. Under his arm was a folder and he had a lazy relaxed pace as he moved down the hall. It wasn't very well lit, with spots of darkness along the way. The bulbs weren't very well kept and flickered in some places.

His foot slipped a little and he caught himself on the wall. "Huh? What?" He looked down at a dark pool of something his foot had slid in. A familiar coppery odor flooded his senses. "Bl..."

He never noticed the black figure lower from the ceiling. It's legs clamped on a pipe above the hall as it hooked a wire around his neck and lifted him off the ground. The unfortunate sound ninja gagged and sputtered as blood poured from his neck as his legs shook violently. The folder in his hands hit the ground and the pages within it spread out and began to soak up the pool of blood on the ground he'd slipped in.

As the ninja's struggles stopped, the shadow let him fall to the ground. It reached up with it's hand and twisted the bulbs in the light, not taking them out, but breaking the electric current and putting the section of hall into total darkness.

It landed on the ground lightly and turned towards the opening of one of the doors. "Hang on, I think I heard something..."

As the man from inside the room stepped out into the darkness the shadow rushed him. The man felt a strong blow to his side and was slammed into the concrete wall with an elbow planted in his neck. The bones snapped and he slumped down in violent spasms. Without a word, the shadow lunged into the room.

Two more people inside turned with surprised expressions on their faces away from terminals. A moment later a Kunoichi had a kunai stabbed into her forehead, and her coworker had one protruding from his neck. The red and pink blur rushed up to the kunoichi, kicking her in the forehead and driving the weapon into her brain before she could scream.

Sakura pulled spoke into a headset in a quiet whisper. "Hallway cleared, move in."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke looked through a grating at a room filled with people and equipment. There were screens all about the room he was looking at from the inside of an air vent. It wasn't very large, about fifteen square feet, but there were six people inside, all working at various terminals.

One of the men spoke up. "Sir, something a bit strange. Echo base said something about strange noises about three minutes ago, and I've not heard back since."

"Eh?" grumbled a barrel chested older man in irritation.

The raven haired Chunin had managed to unscrew the grate and had it tilted out a bit. He was lowering several canisters into the room by a string. The touched the ground and waited.

The man in charge of the room was leaning over his subordinate and everyone was crouching over the terminal. "Echo base, come in, what is your status?" He spoke into a microphone and waited. "Echo base, respond."

"What's with them?" growled an irate looking kunoichi.

The leader crossed his arms. "Those idiots probably went for coffee or something."

The man at the terminal looked up at him. "All at once?"

The supervisor thought about it for a moment. "Contact Bravo and see if they've heard anything. Might be a problem with our connection."

"We're not getting anything from them either," replied a young ninja at a nearby terminal.

"Huh?" growled the man in charge.

"Hey, you guys smell something?" muttered another of the techs.

"Yeah, what is that?"

It was too late though. Sasuke smirked as he put his fingers up to his lips and blew between them. A moment later, the entire room was engulfed in flames, everyone inside screamed as they burned alive. It didn't take long before the screams stopped.

He pushed the grate onto the ground and worked his way out of the vent and onto the ground. There were still a few small flames and paper fires about the room. He opened the door and let the smoke out of the room. There was a black coat of soot on everything in the room, and a few sparks from some of the electronics. Most of the equipment still appeared to be in working order though, and a few of the terminals were still on. "Room cleared. Move in."

OooOOooOO

Yamanaka Ino narrowed her eyes as she looked into a small control room with three people. There were several dead ninja along the path of her entrance and the ones she was looking at were all working running monitors and communications terminals. She was pressed against the wall and looking through a windowed door in a poorly lit hallway.

She narrowed her eyes and held her breath.

"It's been quiet for a few minutes," commented the Kunoichi in charge.

"It is a bit weird," muttered one of the men. Usually there was a constant stream of information from the other bases. Even when there was nothing of importance being transmitted, there was something. Dead air was highly unusual.

"Hope nothing is broken," grumbled the other man in the room. The last time it had happened they had spent several hours fixing a broken transmitter and were forced to switch to a backup.

"I sent Takagami for coffee five minutes ago, where the hell is he?" growled the Kunoichi as she looked towards the door.

Ino looked over her shoulder at the air vent beside her head. "Shintente."

One of the men turned to look at her. "Well, if there's a problem, we'll need Takagami. He's the only one here who knows how to do maintenance. Should I go find him?"

The woman was about to answer, when a glowing blue arm burst from the air vent on the wall. "What the fuck is that!?"

The man who had offered to fetch his coworker was grabbed from behind. The ethereal arm lifted him off his feet and pulled him into the air vent. There was a sickening cracking sound as he hit the wall and the sides of his legs touched his ears as blood erupted from his nose and mouth.

"Holy shit!" screamed the other man in shock.

The door burst open a split second later and the hand entered the room again. The unfortunate man was lifted off his feat and slammed into the wall head first. The force of the strike created an impact crater and he stuck there hanging by his neck as blood oozed from the hole his head had made.

The woman screamed in shock and rage as she tossed several kunai at the giant ghostly appendage. It left the room and she rushed after it pulling a sword from her back. As soon as she left the room, an arm jabbed out from the wall beside the door thrusting a kunai knife into the side of her neck.

She turned to look at the young blond girl's frown with shock in her eyes as her sword clattered to the ground as she staggered away trying to make some sort of sound. All that came out was a gurgling noise and she slumped to the ground. After a moment of crawling on her back, she went still and just stared at the ceiling. "The way's clear, move in." Ino closed her eyes and turned away as she walked into the computer room.

OooOOooOO

Two men walked down a wide well lit hallway. Each of them wearing a sound forehead protector. They were armed, and appeared to be patrolling. A set of security cameras watched the hall on either end.

Neither one noticed the light switch on the wall right behind them switch off. The lights weren't completely turned off, but the hallway was filled with a dull red glow and became full of shadows and dark spots.

"What the hell?" growled one of the men as he drew his sword.

His companion had a kunai in his grip. "Someone killed the lights..."

Neither one of them noticed the hooded figure appear behind them just as the security cameras turned away to monitor the adjacent hallways that turned off of the main hall.

When the cameras panned back, the hallway was empty. A large pool of blood was sitting on the ground, but it was in a heavily shadowed area. One of the cameras almost caught the end of a foot being pulled into a nook in one of the walls with pipes filled with wiring inside. There was no light there, and they continued to scan the hall.

The sound of footsteps started from the hallway around the corner, a group of seven armed men came around the corner in a jog.

"Spread out, search everywhere, and turn on that damn light," called one of the men at the back of the pack. As soon as the words left his mouth, and just as the camera panned away again, a kunai was jutting from his throat. He fell over flat on his back, and the red emergency lights shut down putting the hallway into complete darkness.

There were several panicked cries and the sound of metal clashing for a few seconds. Then silence.

Naruto moved up and put his back to the wall next to the large double doors at the center of the hallway. He could hear voices from inside, about seven people. He closed his eyes and breathed.

The doors opened and someone stepped out. Without a word he grabbed the man's arm and twisted, putting his palm on the back of his head. He swung the man around, and just before he managed to yell, his skull was planted into the thick wall and half crushed under the force.

"What the hell was that?" muttered one of the men inside the room. The door was swinging shut on it's own, and no one noticed the invisible figure slip into the room just before it closed all the way.

A man overlooking a large computer room with a big screen with a map display was standing on a balcony. He pointed to two men. "You two, go see what the hell is going on out there. Bring me whoever the hell is responsible."

"Yes, sir!" cried the pair as they moved towards the door.

One of them hit the ground and screamed as he passed by an empty desk.

"What?" cried the other in shock as he looked down at his now legless compatriot. His head jerked back as three throwing stars became embedded in his neck.

The room was on it's feet as the lights went out, a throwing star embedded in the light switch. The screen at the front of the room went dark as it shattered after being impaled by a kunai knife, leaving their personal terminals as the only light in the room.

The man on the balcony screamed in rage. "What the hell?"

One of the men below him screamed as he vanished from in front of the light of his terminal. Then another was pulled away by force into the shadows, their screams lasted but a moment as a ripping sound quickly followed.

The man supervising the room backed away as one of the terminal lights went red suddenly, the headless body of the kunoichi working there spraying blood from her neck all over the screen. "What the fuck?"

The last of his technicians ran for the door, but a ripping sound in the blackness of the room was the only sound in it a moment later. The door never opened from the panicked man's retreat.

"Show yourself! Who the hell are you?" screamed the panicked man as he rushed backed against the wall.

He looked down at his chest as he realized he was in pain. A sword blade was jutting through him from behind. He'd backed into being impaled on the weapon. "Uzumaki Naruto," said a young voice from behind him.

The light left his eyes and he slumped forward onto the ground face first. "Objective reached. Move in."

OooOOooOO

Naruto had his arms crossed as he peered into the terminal in front of him. "This is Shadow one, times up, report in."

All around him were ninja in Leaf forehead protectors. Most of them weren't ANBU, and he was wearing his fox mask. The other ninja in the room looked nervous. The lights were on when they entered the complex. Most of them were techs of some sort or another, and all were at least Chunin. They didn't look comfortable with the scene they had encountered when they had arrived.

The hallway leading to the room was splattered with blood, and nine bodies were lying about in pieces on the floor. The control room wasn't in much better shape. All the Sound ninja were dead, and the ANBU who had come in immediately after Naruto were patrolling the remains of the compound cleaning up anyone who was left. Naruto had taken the largest of them out himself, and his teammates had all gone in first for three of the others. They were being supervised by a Jounin level ninja overseeing the operation, but had all taken point to clear the way for the others.

Maito Gai, the only team that went in without one of his team members was the first to appear on his screen. "We have control of the operations center."

Naruto nodded. "What's your status?"

The man nodded. "Good, we have three injuries, but no casualties. There's still a bit of resistance in the south hall. It's contained though. Two of the Sound Ninja have managed to barricade themselves in the living quarters." He paused and turned his head. "I see. The situation has been resolved." He hung his head. "We have a casualty, a young chunin by the name Otoniri Abaki. One of my team has died, but we've killed one of the holdouts, and the other has been captured."

The boy in the fox mask nodded. "I see. That's unfortunate. Good job."

Gai gave a serious looking nod. "Yes. It is. From what I have seen so far, it is very likely that it was worth the price. There is information here linking Sound to several smuggling operations within Fire Country, and other criminal enterprises including human trafficking. Disgusting." The man did not look pleased.

Naruto looked about the room. "I've found information that supports that here. Something about some sort of prison. A medical facility in the Land of Rice, something about a Kaguya clan, and some sort of research. There doesn't appear to be a lot of information about details, but both have been mentioned several times."

Gai gasped. "The Kaguya clan?"

Naruto nodded. "You know something about that?"

The man gave a serious nod. "Indeed. They were a powerful and dangerous clan. They loved battle and were said to be the most powerful of ninja. Barbarians with a powerful blood limit. They overreached their limits though and fought against Hidden Mist. They were wiped out. It is troublesome. I do not believe Orochimaru would make good use of any secrets he might have gained about those barbarians."

The boy thought on that. "That may prove useful then."

Kakashi appeared in another window. "Yes. That's definitely something we should look into and keep in mind. Things went well here. No casualties or injuries. Sasuke took care of the entire base on his own. I don't think anyone even noticed we were here."

Yojimbo appeared in another screen. "Indeed. I have much the same report. We've got a lot of information to sift through, and I've got nothing of particular interest yet. Still, we should gain quite a bit of intelligence. They didn't have time to destroy any information, and I also believe we remained undetected until the end. Yamanaka made quite a mess though, it was a bit disturbing to see what was left. I think some of the Chunin are a bit rattled." He almost sounded amused by that.

"Same here," chimed Kurenai as she appeared in the conference in yet another window. "No injuries, none of the data has been destroyed. I don't think anyone noticed we were ever here. Sakura did a thorough job of clearing the way for us." She narrowed her eyes a bit. "I think Yuugao is a little upset you cut her out of this. It's going to take some time to sift through all of it, but it's pretty much the same thing as what's already been reported so far. A few mentions of Yakushi Kabuto. He seems to be the head of research and the top medical ninja of Sound."

Naruto shrugged. "She'll get over it. Good work everyone."

The screen was filled with another window. A familiar gray haired ninja pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and frowned.

The boy in the fox mask nodded. "Yakushi, it's been a while."

The man smirked. "So it has. What is it you hope to accomplish?"

Uzumaki chuckled. "I'm building a case for war of course. I've got more than enough here to accomplish that."

Kabuto scowled at him. "You've gained nothing. Fire Country has known about our operations for quite some time."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, but now we have solid proof that you're performing covert operations within our borders, and of your criminal activities."

Yakushi snarled at him. "Konohagakure will suffer. There's nothing you can do to stop it."

The boy didn't look impressed. "You and your boss made this personal. Konohagakure makes for a convenient ally. We share similar interest in getting rid of you, for our own reasons. Now, you're looking at open combat. You won't be able to hide behind the borders of Rice Country much longer. Prepare yourself, I'm coming for you, and your boss."

The gray haired Sound ninja laughed. "You fool. Did you really think we wouldn't take precautions? None of you will leave those bases alive. Goodbye."

Naruto just stood there with his arms crossed. "If you mean the explosive charges set to destroy the bases, and the programs you've installed to wipe your databases clean, we've already disabled them."

Kabuto froze. "What?"

"We've been here for hours, and we set up a transmission loop to broadcast normal operations to you. All those explosive notes you left in your records rooms have been taken care of already. I do not make a move like this without anticipating my enemy's reactions. My sources are very good." He sounded pleased with himself. "We delayed our communications to confirm our success to give ourselves time to take care of your little booby traps. Right, Gai?"

The man smirked. "Yes. There were no casualties here. That was a preplanned confirmation that all of your defenses had been bypassed. It was also to give the appearance that our attack was more recent than it really was. We knew you'd be listening in of course, this is your communications network after all. It would be foolish to create such a thing and not monitor it from your main base."

Kabuto snarled. "This is only the beginning. We will have Uchiha, and Konohagakure will burn. Cleansed by the fire of war soon enough. We will build something far better upon it's ashes."

Naruto spoke up. "I know you're listening to this, Orochimaru. I will not accept less than total victory. I am coming for you."

The screen flickered again. The serpent like face of Orochimaru sneered at him. "I look forward to meeting you again."

The boy in the fox mask nodded. "And I you."

One of the Leaf Kunoichi at a nearby terminal looked back at him and gave him a thumbs up.

He turned off the screen. "Shut down that broadcast. We've got everything we need now. They're blind and deaf within the borders of Fire Country now, and I intend to make sure it stays that way."

The female ninja smiled. "I've confirmed and pinpointed the origin of that broadcast in Rice Country. We've got the exact location of the enemy's main base."

The ANBU Jounin gave a nod. "All right. We've got a lot of work to do. Let's get started, we've got to archive all these records and start sorting through them for viable intelligence. I want every corner of this base searched thoroughly."

OooOOooOO

Tsuade had a hefty folder sitting on her desk. She was leaning back in her chair and seemed relaxed. "I see your operation was successful."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yes. Everything went off without a hitch."

The Hokage nodded and leaned forward folding her hands. "To be honest, it went better than I expected. Not a single casualty, and only a few injuries on Maito Gai's team."

Naruto seemed to consider that for a moment. "I was expecting more resistance. I don't believe there were any Jounin level ninja in the whole operation. Perhaps a few Special Jounin, no more."

She frowned at him. "You intend to make a case for war?"

The boy looked serious. "I think we might be able to gain enough leverage to get Rice Country to ignore our operations against Hidden Sound within their borders. The information we've uncovered includes details of their operations in other countries as well. With enough diplomatic support, we should be able to go after them without declaring open war on Rice Country."

She sat back again and put her folded hands up to her lips. "That's going to take time, and diplomacy."

He nodded. "I know."

Tsunade closed her eyes and lowered her hands. "You're determined to make things difficult for me, aren't you?"

Naruto looked at her. "I can't ignore him, even if Fire Country cannot be persuaded. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to face him. I intend to be as prepared as I can, and I am patient enough to wait for the opportune moment."

She gave a sigh. "All right. It seems I've got my back to the wall here. You're right, we can't ignore him. It's going to be a pain, but it seems I've got no choice but to try and convince the Daimyo and the rest of those boneheaded fools in the counsel to do something. We're going to have to enter talks with the other nations as well."

The boy sounded completely serious. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

She frowned at him a little. "You've got a strange sense of humor, Uzumaki. I suppose that's all for now. Good job. Expect to hear from me again soon. I'm sure I'll have something to keep you and your team occupied in the mean time."

He nodded and turned away. "I look forward to it."

OooOOooOO

A few hours later Tsunade smiled as she stood up in her office. "Welcome to Konohagakure. I hope you have a pleasant stay."

A man clad in orange robes with a bald head smiled back at her. "Thank you, Hokage. I am Okami, Kumogakure has requested that I act as ambassador to represent them. Yes. I do hope things go well. I met with your predecessor in the past. I hope he is enjoying his retirement?"

The woman nodded. "More than I'm enjoying his old job I'd wager."

The man chuckled at that. "I see. Well, it has been many years since an ambassador from my country has represented us here. I do hope we can put those unpleasant matters behind us."

Tsunade seemed cheerful, but reserved at the mention of it. "Yes. I understand you've been residing here at the Fire Temple?"

Okami bowed and kept his pleasant tone. "Yes, I am a humble monk. I am familiar with your Country and culture, and my homeland requested that I represent them because of this. I hope to earn your trust and honor my country as a respectable diplomat. I hope I am suited, while I am knowledgeable, I dislike politics. It was a bittersweet request, and I am honored and capable to perform my duty. I had become a monk in the hope of avoiding such responsibility, but my enlightenment has made accepting the responsibility a duty I must accept. I shall do my best to work towards the mutual benefit of both our cultures."

The Hokage stood up. "I look forward to working with you. We've arranged for accommodations for you. Shizune will show you to where you'll be staying."

The kunoichi bowed in greeting. "Please, follow me."

He smiled at her and bowed to the Hokage again. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Tsunade watched him leave and gave a small sigh. It was a blessing in disguise. Lightning Country was one of the countries that Sound had operations in. They could prove to be a powerful ally in dealing with Orochimaru and getting Rice Country to allow them to deal with him without an open war. Wind Country would likely not be very difficult to convince either, given the fate of the last Kazekage.

A knock came at her door and she blinked in surprise. "Come in."

An unfamiliar woman walked in. She had aqua blue hair that fell down to her waist and bowed deeply as she entered. "Hokage, it is good to meet you."

Tsunade thought the woman looked familiar. "How can I help you, Miss?"

The woman looked up at her. "I am Uzumaki Umi, the ambassador from Whirlpool Country."

The Hokage nodded. "Ah. We met briefly at the Chunin exams. What can we do for Whirlpool?"

The woman shook her head. "I am here on personal business. I am here to announce my presence according to the treaty, and to make a request."

Tsunade looked interested. "Yes? Do you wish to hire a ninja team?"

Umi shook her head. "No. I wish to meet with Uzumaki Naruto."

That caught the woman off guard. "Might I ask why?"

The Whirlpool Country ambassador nodded. "I am his aunt. I recently became aware that my sister Kushina had a son before she died, and I would like to meet him."

The Hokage blinked at that. Uzumaki wasn't the most common name. It was not unusual in Whirlpool Country though. "I see." She looked at the woman, she could see it. "I wasn't aware Kushina had a sister. I'm sorry for your loss."

The woman gave a quick nod. "She left home when I was young. We were close when we were children. I would very much like to meet her son."

The Hokage nodded. "I'll arrange it." She had a suspicion the woman's appearance probably had something to do with his stay in Kumogakure.

Umi nodded. "Thank you." She hadn't smiled since she arrived and looked a bit pensive. It wasn't really obvious, but she looked a bit nervous.

Tsunade walked over to the woman and smiled. "He's quite a boy. A lot like his mother."

The blue haired woman looked up at her. "You knew Kushina?"

The Hokage smiled at her. "Yes. She was a friend, we weren't very close, but her husband was the student of an old friend, and we got along well. Do you have a room yet? It' will probably take a little time for me to track him down. My assistant is running an errand for me at the moment."

Umi shook her head. "Not yet. I was planning on finding a room when I left here." She wasn't being unpleasant, but seemed a little less than cheerful. "I'm planning on staying at the Branch Inn. I usually do when I come here."

The Hokage nodded. "If you'd like you can wait here. When my assistant returns, she can help you find him. She won't be long."

The woman nodded. "Yes. Thank you." She moved over and took one of the seats by the door.

Tsunade glanced over her shoulder as she went back to sit at her desk. She had paperwork she had to go over still. "I wonder what this is about? I'll have to ask him later."

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Uzumaki Reunion.


	43. Chapter 43

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

Part 43

The Reunion.

OooOOooOO

Naruto had a large grin on his face as he sat in his home. Kitsuma was holding his thumbs and standing in front of him with a smile of his own. He was making cooing noises and let go with one of his hands and slap at his father's knee. He almost fell over, but kept his balance as he squealed with glee, being far too cute to resist. It was late in the afternoon, and he and his team all had a few days off to recover after their successful routing of Sound an the elimination of their bases.

A thick folder with intelligence and other information gained in the raids was sitting on the table. He'd been reading over it, but it was far from pressing, and his son had distracted him. He hefted the boy up into his arms and set him on his lap.

"Da! Da!" squealed the boy as he reveled in the simple joy of being a baby.

Naruto chuckled at it. "You'll be walking soon." He was already crawling about on his hands and knees. On occasion he'd revert back to his fuzzier form. He'd figured out crawling was much easier that way. He was quite nimble and mobile in his more animal form. "Look at you. You're getting so big." He tickled his son as he said it, and the boy clutched at his arms and laughed.

His head snapped up as there was a knock at the door. Masara looked over and smiled at the pair as she got up to answer it. Her face fell a little. "Oh. Shizune, how nice to see you." The green haired kitsune gave a small bow.

Koruma walked over and took Kitsuma from Naruto as he handed the boy off to greet his guest. "Shizune? What brings...oh. I see."

Shizune narrowed her eyes a bit and looked at the aqua haired woman beside her. "You know her?"

Naruto gave a nod. "I've...heard about her. I'm sure she's noticed we have a few mutual friends." He gave a polite bow. "You must be Uzumaki Umi, the representative of Whirlpool Country." The woman had a forehead protector with the symbol for Whirlpool in the center tied around her right arm just below her shoulder.

Kira was looking on from over his shoulder, and it was obvious Umi had noticed her. "Yes. You are, Naruto?"

He gave a nod. "That's right."

Shizune gave a nod. "I'll leave you two to your business."

Umi gave a bow. "Thank you for showing me the way."

The dark haired kunoichi nodded. "No problem." She didn't know much about what was going on, but was aware it was unusual for diplomats to request to meet specific ninja. Tsunade told her to lead her there and keep her eyes open. She had other duties to attend, and left them to their business. It didn't look like Naruto was expecting her, but he also didn't seem very surprised by her sudden appearance.

Naruto stepped out with her and cocked his head. "Well, it's nice to meet you. Come on, I'll buy you a drink. We can talk for a bit in private."

The woman looked over his shoulder at the three kitsune and narrowed her eyes a little. "I'd like that, thank you."

OooOOooOO

A short time later they were sitting together in a booth in a quiet corner of the Fox Den. It was getting late in the afternoon, but the sun was still up and business was slow. Naruto had a bottle of rum on the table in front of them and poured them both a drink.

"What brings you?" he asked.

"What do you know of me?" asked the woman as she looked at her drink.

He shrugged. "I didn't know I had any surviving relatives. I heard about you from a mutual friend."

The blue haired woman scowled a bit. "Did she tell you..."

"That you tried to kill her? Yeah. I'm hoping you're over that." He replied with a small shrug. He hadn't taken a drink yet, but neither had she. They both just sat holding their cups. It was relatively awkward but had yet to become uncomfortable.

She looked up at him and frowned. "Do you not care? That thing murdered your mother, your father."

He shook his head. "The one I want goes by the name Madara. I don't know much more than that, but I do know that the Kyuubi was being controlled by someone else. I can't really blame her for what happened to Mom and Dad. She'd never admit it, but I'm pretty sure that guy found a way to control her somehow."

Umi scrunched up her face a little. "Madara?" She frowned at him. "How do you know this?"

He grunted and took a shot of rum. "I guess I've sort of become an ambassador between the Kitsune and Konoha. I've talked with them, and the Kyuubi. I've put a few things together, they like to talk big about the Kyuubi and act like no one could control her, but it's obvious they're hiding the fact that this Madara character figured out a way to get her under his thumb, or at the very least trick her into attacking this place." He realized that he was being very forward with that information.

The woman seemed shocked. "You've...spoken to it?"

The blond kid shrugged. "She's not as bad as you'd think really. Acts pretty big and tough, and she doesn't care much for people. I get along with her all right though."

"Why is that?" asked the woman.

He shrugged. "I'm her Jinchuriki. That's how the old man beat her, he sealed her up inside me."

Umi gasped. "What?" She looked at her drink.

Naruto chuckled at her expression. "What did you expect? Why are you here anyway?"

The woman gave a small growl as she realized he seemed amused with her. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

He looked at his cup. "I'm a Jounin, legally I'm an adult." He leaned forward. "Why do you keep dodging that question? What brings you? You don't seem like you're just here to drop in and say hello."

The woman looked away. "I'm not sure. I guess I just wanted to see you." She turned her eyes towards him. "A Jounin huh?"

He nodded, and poured himself another shot. He didn't drink it though and twisted it in his fingers a few times. "Yeah. Go figure. Turns out I'm pretty good at this whole 'ninja' thing."

Umi downed her own drink finally and nodded. "She...seemed to think that you...might be able to help me." Naruto poured her another and shrugged.

"That depends on what your problem is."

The woman frowned with a saddened look in her eyes. "My Country is a mess. The Government is corrupt, the streets are run by gangs and bandits, and my only job is to give the appearance of a respectable presence when I go abroad. I'm nothing but a warm body to fill a seat, the Daimyo is nothing but a figurehead, and a group of murderous thugs who kill at least five or six people a month are in charge. Usually young girls, they have a particular liking for them." She clenched her fist. "I'm in no better position to do anything to help. The people of Whirlpool never recovered from the last great war. Our hidden village was destroyed, and when it was destroyed, so was any semblance of a respectable government."

Naruto gave a nod. "I see." He sat back and seemed to think on it. "I'm just a Ninja. You give me a name, and I can eliminate them, you give me an objective, and I can steal it. You come to me with a broken country, and I'm pretty powerless. I take it that even if I killed the one mainly responsible for all of this misery..."

She nodded. "Yes. Another would replace him before his body fell to the ground." She downed her drink again, and he poured her another. "If it were so easy, I'd have done it myself years ago." She looked up at him, with a deep frown on her face. "When I tried to kill her, I thought I might accomplish something by doing it at least. Give my sister some peace, a bit of justice perhaps."

The boy nodded, pouring her drink yet again. "I suppose I can understand that. Still, you should be glad you didn't. It would have done more harm than good."

The woman downed her drink and ignored the statement. "What would you do, if you were in my position?"

Naruto cocked his head and crossed his arms. "Honestly?"

Umi frowned at him. "No, I want you to lie. Of course honestly."

The boy gave a shrug. "I'd assassinate the Royal Family."

The aqua haired woman froze with her eyes growing wide. "What?"

Naruto rubbed at his chin. "I admit it. I did some asking around about Whirlpool Country after I heard about you. I know more about the situation there than I let on. I can't do much to help you, but if you want my honest advice. Kill the Daimyo and his family. If you can't take care of it yourself, hire someone else to do it for you."

Umi growled at him. "What did you say? How could you even suggest that?"

He put his hands up. "Hey. You asked for my advice. Relax." He looked away from her. "It's probably your best option."

"Why is that?" she poured her own drink after downing another.

"They're in the way," replied the boy. "I know about that thug that's pulling the strings. He's got the man and his family in his pocket. They wouldn't dare refuse him anything. If you eliminate them, it takes away his legitimacy."

Umi nodded. "He'll just declare himself Daimyo, or drag some other pawn into it. He's not stupid."

Naruto shrugged. "I know, but it will force his hand. As it is, he can hide and hang back. Take the Royal family from him, and he'll put his lieutenant into the seat. That exposes him, and the other country's won't recognize his authority."

"Why not?" she growled irritably.

Naruto chuckled at that. "Kamishiro Katoga and his right hand Idan? Two violent criminals wanted in just about every province in the world? Ruling Whirlpool Country? The other Daimyo will pitch a fit. They won't have much backbone about it, but the big five will get flooded with complaints. They've got nothing to fear from a guy like that, without a ninja village of his own, he'll not try anything against them."

Umi looked sullen. "They already do, and they don't seem to care now."

The blond kid nodded. "It's easy to ignore, because at least outwardly, they can say that the Daimyo just has poor taste in friends. Without the Royal Family, you've got a different situation."

"That could cause a war," replied Umi. "The people of Whirlpool could not take another. We're barely held together as a country as it is."

Naruto nodded, "Yes. That's why it's important that an Heir be found, put into place, and that your friend either eliminated or driven out of Whirlpool right away on their authority."

The woman looked over at him. She was a bit drunk, but not so much she was incoherent. "What? How the hell do you suggest I do all this exactly?"

The boy shrugged. "Hire a ninja team. It's going to be expensive though."

She scowled at him. "Yeah, you're just going to swoop in, kill the entire Royal family, find a legitimate heir to replace them that will help me out, and defeat the two strongest men in Whirlpool?"

Naruto seemed to think on it. "Hmm. You're right, you might need two teams. The heir is going to need protection."

"What Heir?" growled Umi as she grabbed his shirt.

The boy flipped a photo up between his fingers. "Odiri Minato, a minor noble of Grass Country, and given five or six deaths, Daimyo of Whirlpool."

Umi dropped him and took the photo. "What?"

Naruto relaxed a little more. "I told you, I asked around about this a bit. I figured you'd show up sooner or later. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised to hear about the mess that's become of Whirlpool Country."

She looked over at him from the photo and scowled. "This is a bit more than 'asked around' I'd say. You already had a plan laid out before I ever showed up."

He nodded. "I guess I can't deny that. I know Mom wouldn't have liked finding out her home was such a mess."

Umi gave a heavy sigh. "Well, I suppose you make a good case for a sale here. You're saying you can do this?"

The blond kid blinked. "Huh? No way. I can't. Sorry, the best I can do is advise you on a course of action. You're gonna have to take care of hiring a team on your own. I'm not even suggesting that you should hire a Leaf team to be honest. Any of the Five will take the contract. We're...kind of expensive." He kicked back. "The assassinations will be at least B ranked. There's no hidden village and little chance of shinobi combat involved, so you should be able to bargain out of S ranked rates. Heck, play your cards right and keep Odiri a secret, and you can probably get the job of protecting him at C ranked rates."

The woman nodded. "I see. What do you know about this Odiri. I only know one person from Grass Country."

Naruto grunted and downed his second shot. "He's got a bit of a reputation for being a loud mouthed idiot." He glanced at her. "I've never met him though. He's royalty, so he's stuck up and largely self centered. Nothing unusual about him."

Umi frowned at him and arched her eyebrow. "You're not recommending a Leaf team?"

The boy gave her a smile. "Well, you get what you pay for, but like I said, we're expensive."

She tossed the photo on the table top and sat back, taking another shot. "It doesn't matter anyway. I can't afford to hire one team, much less two. Even at lower ranked rates."

The boy nodded. "I see. Well, what if I could get you a loan?"

The woman glared at him again. She took the bottle and took a chug right from it. "What's with you? Why are you being so helpful. We just met."

Naruto leaned towards her and looked thoughtful. "I dunno. You're family I guess. I know we don't know each other, but to be honest, I spent a lot of time thinking about this stuff. Now that I've gone and put all that thought into it, it seems like kind of a waste to just forget about it."

She nodded. "If the plan fails, I won't be able to pay it back. Hell, I'm m not sure I'll be able to pay it back even if it succeeds. I'm not rich you know."

Naruto seemed to think about it again. "How about this? If the plan fails, you don't have to pay a single ryo back, but if it succeeds, we'll just bill the new Daimyo for it."

The blue haired woman scowled at him. "Where are you going to find someone who will agree to such crazy terms?"

The boy chuckled. "Sorry, I can't give up all my ninja secrets. So, what do you think?"

She extended her hand. "All right. I'm not sure I trust you though. I mean, I just met you about an hour ago, and we're already plotting to overthrow my Country together." She looked at the bottle in her hand. "You've successfully gotten me drunk and convinced me to do something stupid in such a short time."

Naruto cocked his head. "Yeah. Go figure." He started to stand up.

Umi grabbed his arm. "Hey, don't go running off yet." She pulled him into the booth again. It was starting to get a bit more crowded. "I'm only half drunk, and you're not ready to leave yet."

"Huh?" he muttered in confusion.

The woman let his arm go after realizing he was staying in place. "So, you're my nephew, huh?" She peered at him. "You're a lot less useless than your Uncle. Tell me a bit about yourself. I came here to meet you after all, wasn't expecting all the espionage stuff really."

The boy seemed to consider that. "Well, there's not much to tell. I'm pretty boring really."

She gave a rough laugh at that. "Are you kidding? We're conspiring to overthrow a nation, and you're telling me you're boring?"

He crossed his arms and turned his nose up. "Well, you're conspiring. I just offered a bit of advice about the best way to go about it." He looked over at her out of the corner of his eyes. "I have an Uncle?"

Umi frowned at the mention of him. "He's a useless slob. That dork."

"What other family do I have anyway?" Naruto seemed to relax a bit.

She took another sip of the bottle and was getting pretty loaded. The woman set it down and pushed it away as she seemed to notice it. She hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him up to her side. "Not...not sho fasht. You first."

The boy was a bit unconfortable. "Well, I have a son. I live with three kitsune, and I can't talk about my work with anyone."

Umi shook him. "What are ya? Shome kinda ANBU or somethin?"

He nodded and looked at her, their noses almost touching. "Well, yeah. I am."

Her face fell a bit. "Oh." She looked confused. "Really?"

He nodded at her. "Yeah. I really can't say more."

Umi's eyes went wide. "Wait. You'se gots a sh...shoo...a kid?" She held him at arm's length. "What are ya, thirteen? How do ya got a kid already?"

He blushed as she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shook him. "Ya some kind of pervert or somethin?"

Naruto shifted his eyes away. "Well, I guess I can't deny that I'm a little perverted."

"Who's the mother?" said Umi as she seemed to sober up a bit.

"Well, she's away for a bit..." Naruto dodged the question. "It's really just me and him, and my kitsune friends at home. They help me out with him in exchange for room and board."

Her eyes got pretty wide. "You...you let Kitsune watch your son? Are you crazy?"

Naruto seemed to consider that. "It's complicated. They're all right with him, besides, I've got others who help out too. They'd never let anything bad happen to him. Toma...er...Kyuubi would get mad at them."

Umi seemed to consider that. "You're crazy," she grabbed the bottle and took a chug. "I dunno, you're a pervert and all, but you seem like a good kid. I like you." She shook him by his neck with her arm. "Hey, why am I the only one drinkin?"

"Huh?" he muttered. "I'm fine."

The aqua haired woman waved her arm. One of the serving girls moved over. Umi practically shouted at her. "Hey, bring another bottle. I guess the kid don't like backwash." She shook him again. "You said you're old enough right? Bein a Jounin an all."

Naruto was pretty uncomfortable. "Yeah. I can, but..."

Umi poked him in the chest with her finger. "Look, I know ya got me drunk to get me talkin and take advantage and all. I don't mind, but now I'm gettin ya drunk with me fer it. Got me?"

The boy looked as the smiling kitsune put another bottle on the table in front of him and gave him a wink. "Gee, thanks," he muttered sarcastically. Umi popped the top off with one flick of her thumb, shoved it over his lips, and upended it. He gasped as she pulled it off after a good bit of rum was drained, a bit of it down his cheeks.

"There, that'll get ya started!" cried the woman as she waved a fan and kicked her leg up on the seat. Naruto felt his cheeks flush as his chest heated up. The bar was starting to get a little busier as the sun went down outside.

OooOOooOO

Sakura Haruno walked into the Fox Den with her head hung a little. Shizune gave her a small squeeze on her shoulder and ushered her into the bar behind the Hokage.

The village leader made for the gambling tables immediately. "Well, good evening." One of the Kitsune girls handed her a large stack of black chips. Naruto had come up with a rather ingenious plan to deal with her habit. She was a horrible gambler, and lost all her chips on a regular basis. She wasn't aware of it, but the chips they gave her were only redeemable for alcohol. five got a small order of sake, ten was worth a flask, fifteen a pint of beer. They had a brewery in the basement of the place, and they were only good for drinks that were made on the premises. They also had wine and plum wine when it was in season. The woman bought them, but the money went back to Shizune after she left, and she was none the wiser. She lost a couple of hundred worth most nights, and there were a few regulars who seldom paid out of their own pocket for their booze because of it.

Sakura was aware of it, but it didn't make having to go with her and watch her lose any easier. She had an understanding friend in Shizune though.

"What the hell?!" said a familiar voice. The pink haired kunoichi frowned and turned to see Ino standing next to her. She was looking forward with her jaw hanging down and had a shocked expression. Sakura seemed to realize she wasn't talking about how badly the Hokage was doing at the table. She looked in the same direction, and her face became the same expression.

Naruto was standing on one of the stages, he had a business tie on his head, and a pair of maracas in his hands. He was singing a song while a blue haired woman at least fifteen years older than him danced along side him. "...Yes sir I'm Cuban Pete, I'm the King of the Rumba Beat, when I play the Maracas I go Chick-chicky-boom0-chick-chicky-boom-chick-chicky-boom!" It was quite the scene to behold. A lot of the room was laughing and dancing along, and most of the kitsune girls were really enjoying and dancing as well.

"Is...he starting a conga line?" muttered Ino in confusion.

"It looks like it," commented Sasuke as he appeared between the pair. "Huh. Go figure."

Kira rushed over and grabbed the two kunoichi by the hand. "Come on! Why are you just standing there gawking?"

Sasuke skillfully dodged aside and walked right into Koruma's chest. "Hey, going somewhere Mr. Cool?"

"I don't dance," grumbled the sour faced boy.

The redhead pulled on his hand. "Stop being a stick in the mud!" She grabbed him by his hands from behind him and forced him to put his hands on Masara's hips as they joined in the line.

Naruto was at the front still singing and shaking his maracas. "...The senorita's they sing, and then they swing with their lumbaro. It's very nice! So full of spice, and when they dance and they bring a happy ring, they're a care-o, singing a song...All the day long!"

OooOOooOO

A short time later, all of team Shadow was sitting in a booth together with the strange drunk blue haired woman. She was hanging off of Naruto and chuckling. Naruto's three kitsune friends were there as well, and they had taken over the largest of the booths, a big round table in the corner.

The blond boy still had his tie on his head. They were all sucking on a lime and licking coarse salt from their hand after setting down a shot glass that had once had a clear and very strong tasting liquid in it.

"Gak, I think I threw up a little in my mouth," muttered Ino as she coughed and patted her chest.

Koruma nodded. "Yeah. That stuff does that to some people. Be a little quicker with the lime and salt next time."

Sakura was feeling a bit light headed. "Who is she anyway?" She was a bit afraid to ask.

Naruto looked over at her. He was wasted and a little bleary eyed. "Huh? She's my auntie. We're havin a family reunion!" He seemed pleased with the idea.

Kira giggled. "Wow, I haven't seen him like this in a while."

Koruma nodded. "Yeah, not since the festival."

"Festival? You've seen him like this before?" Sasuke scowled at the redhead.

Masara leaned on her palms and pushed her cheeks up a bit. "Ha. It was much worse than this. He's still got his clothes on."

"Yeah. He'sh my nephewt." Umi grinned at them. "Sho, which one of you ladies is fuckin him?"

Kira, Masara, and Koruma all raised their hands and looked pleased.

Sakura shook her head and put her face in her hands. "I'm so ashamed to be on this team."

Ino giggled as she leaned into Sasuke a little. "It's not so bad."

The raven haired boy didn't seem to mind or notice. He wasn't complaining, but he wasn't about to admit to having any fun either.

"Hey!" growled Sakura as she shoved at her from behind his back and latched onto his other arm.

Naruto looked at his aunt. "Well, those two are all tied up over him."

Umi was looking at the kitsune trio. "Huh. Three out of five, not bad, you pervert. I'd hate you for it normally, but seeing as you're my nephew, I guess I'm kind of proud."

The blond seemed to consider something. "Where's Kitsuma? If you three are over here..."

Kira smiled at him. "Ken has him. Anko said he needs the practice or something. So we brought him over."

He shook his head. "I don't wanna know anymore." He put up his hands and squeezed his eyes shut.

Umi giggled and put her fingers into his ears. "No, like thish."

"This is so weird," said Ino.

Sasuke nodded. "Yes. I've found something I, actually like."

Both girls looked up at him with wide eyes. "R-really?" asked Ino.

Sakura blushed and clutched his upper arm a little harder.

Sasuke poured another shot of the clear liquid with a small worm floating around the bottom. He downed another shot, bit another lime, and licked a bit more salt from his palm. "Yeah. This stuff is good."

Naruto leaned forward. "Just be careful. If you drink too much, you won't like it so much tomorrow. Trust me."

The black haired boy nodded, and looked at the bottle. "I'm gonna have to remember this stuff later."

Sakura was flushed and glared at Naruto. "Who are you to talk? You're totally trashed."

"Heh. Yeah. I've never seen you like this." Ino giggled at him.

Masara chuckled. "Yeah, when he loosens up, he really loosens up, doesn't he?"

"I'll say," said Koruma as she took another drink from the same bottle as Sasuke. She also bit a lime section and licked a bit of salt off the back of her hand.

Naruto's head hit the table top with a dull thump.

"Is he all right?" asked Sakura as she looked at him.

Umi waved her hand. "He's fine. We've both had quite a bit."

Ino shook her head. "You're gonna be sick tomorrow."

Naruto picked his head up and smiled. "I've accepted it already."

Kira sighed. "Well, I guess we should get him home soon, or he won't be any good to us tonight."

"Right," agreed Koruma.

Naruto found himself hanging by his arms between Masara and Koruma. He looked at Umi. "Hey, what about her? Ya got a place ta stay?"

She nodded. "Yes. I got a room before I met with you. I'll be fine. I'll stop by and see you tomorrow. I want to meet your son as well."

"I'll make sure she gets there all right," said Sasuke.

The kitsune carried the young blond off. "Bye!" called Umi. The rest of the bar gave him a hearty farewell also.

The three ANBU sat with the blue haired kunoichi for a few minutes, making small chat and taking a few more shots off the bottle.

Tsunade walked over and smiled. "Well, it seems to have gone well for you."

Umi gave a drunken nod. "Yeah. He seems like...well, not a good kid really, but I like him."

She looked at her charge and gave a small sigh. "Well, you've had enough to drink. Come on, Sakura. You should get to bed. We'll probably both have a bit of a hangover tomorrow, but you've still got a lesson. I expect you to be there by one."

The girl gave an almost sleepy looking nod as she pushed off of Sasuke. "Thanks, Sensei."

The woman smiled at her. She was a little tipsy herself. "I'm glad you had fun, and you should let your hair down like this sometimes, but don't overdo it all right? You as well, Ino."

The blond nodded. "Sure thing, Hokage." She settled into the dark haired boy's side a little. Sakura was stumbling off and didn't seem to notice it.

He frowned at her. "Get off would ya? Yer crowding me." He shifted by sliding on the seat and she fell face forward onto the table.

It didn't seem to bother her that much and she sat up rubbing at it. "I'll get you yet, just wait, my darling." She puckered her lips and kissed at the air.

The boy rolled his eyes and growled. "Whatever. Just lay off for a bit would ya?"

Umi was looking at the pair. Ino noticed and frowned. "Don't get any funny ideas, old lady."

The blue haired woman smiled at her. "Actually, I'm more interested in you cutie." She put her chin into her palm.

Ino got a bit wide eyed. "Huh?"

The woman took another shot. "You're kind of cute. I like blondes."

The girl frowned and was trying to figure it out. "Wait. How does that work anyway? I'm confused."

Umi had a somewhat predatory grin. "I'll be glad to show you."

The blond girl shook her head. "No. Just, explain. I'm not sure what you...mean..." The woman leaned forward and cupped her hand over her ear.

Ino got wide eyed, her jaw hung down, and slowly became contorted in half disgusted horror. She turned to look at the woman. "Huh? Seriously!? You're kidding!"

The blue haired woman shrugged and took another shot. She gave her a sweet smile.

"N-no way," said Ino as she moved a bit closer to Sasuke. "You pervert."

Umi didn't seem bothered. "Well, I'm not going to make you. It was just a suggestion. Really though, you should try it some time. It's not as bad as it sounds. I had the same reaction at first to be honest. I won't press you, but you should try it at least once. It's totally worth it."

Ino climbed out of the booth over Sasuke. She gave a nervous grin and bowed. "Well, itwasnicetomeetyou. Seeyoulater." She hurried off, moving towards the bathroom rather than the exit.

Sasuke chuckled at that. "Thanks. She's a bit grabby. Sakura is usually all right until she starts, then they both start doing it. A bit annoying."

Umi scowled towards the bathroom. "Well, I admit I wouldn't have minded doing what I suggested, but I did lay it on a little thick because she called me an old lady." She took another shot. "That brat. I'm not a teenager anymore, but I am not old." She stood off and dusted off her blouse a little. There were a few peanut shells stuck to the bottom part of it. "Well, you said you'd get me home." She stumbled a little at him.

He wasn't exactly surefooted, but he was able to hold her up with no difficulty. "Careful. Come on."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke stumbled along and leaned against the spot next to the door. Walking was a little harder than he'd expected, but he didn't think he'd have any trouble getting home either. Umi was fumbling with the lock and managed to get her key into it. "Well, it was nice meeting you." The boy pushed off the wall.

She smiled at him. "Hey, you want to help me finish the bottle?" she opened the door and the same bottle with the worm in it was in her grip.

He gave a small shrug. "Sure, whatever." He was pretty sure he was about as bad off as he was going to be the next day regardless.

The woman grinned and turned on the light. She walked over to the table and set the bottle down. She went into the bathroom and came out with two clear plastic cups. "All right, there's a rule about this stuff though. The last shot has to eat the worm."

He nodded. "I'm drunk enough I don't care."

She looked at the bottle and poured the rest of it into the cups. They were just big enough to hold what was left. It was about three shots each. "I'll split it, one half for each cup. Careful, I'll warn you now it's really bitter."

It didn't bother him. "All right. I don't mind bitter."

"Take it all at once, I'll do it with you," replied the woman.

The pair looked at each other and chugged the rest of the bottle.

Sasuke set his cup down and started to turn away.

Umi pulled on his arm and sat him down on the couch. "Hey. Relax. You shouldn't walk home after that. You can stay on the couch here if you want. You'll just wake up face down in the dirt feeling horrible tomorrow."

He seemed to consider that. His footing was a bit off, and he'd just had quite a bit more. "All right. I guess you're right."

The woman smiled. "You know, Sasuke was it?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"You're, very pretty for a boy."

He arched his eyebrow. "Pretty?"

The woman nodded. "You know, I'm not into boys at all. I don't really like men."

He seemed to consider that. "Um, okay. Thanks...I guess."

She nodded. "Sorry. I'm a bit drunk."

Sasuke nodded his head. "Me too."

"Normally I wouldn't, but do you mind?"

"Sure, why not?"

OooOOooOO

Sasuke woke up. His head hurt a little, and he was wrapped up in sheets. He rolled over and kicked his legs over the side. Several oddly shaped plastic objects fell off the bed. He scratched at the side of his head, his eyes bleary and bloodshot. He was barely able to keep them open. One of his wrists had a pair of handcuffs hanging from it with pink leopard fur inside the cuffs. He gave a heavy yawn and noticed his shorts on the floor in front of him. Without a word he pulled them on and staggered into the bathroom.

About three minutes later, he came out looking about with an unfocused frown. His eyes didn't care much for the light of morning and he stretched his arms.

Umi was sitting behind the counter to the small kitchen in the room. "Oh. Good morning." She seemed cheerful, but still in somewhat the same condition. "Well, afternoon. We were lucky, and managed to sleep through the worst of it."

Sasuke nodded and frowned at the clock on the wall. It was just a few minutes after noon. "Oh. Great."

The woman pointed towards the table. "Have a seat. A cup of coffee and some food will do you some good."

The boy sat down. "I can't stay long."

She smirked. "You're off today. Relax, it was fun, but I'm afraid you've not changed my mind. I just did it because that brat that likes you called me old. Well, and I was drunk and horny, and you were there."

He seemed to relax a little more. "Same here really. You're Naruto's aunt and all. You've got a MILF sort of thing going for you." The young ninja relaxed in his chair. "He probably won't care much, but maybe it will annoy him a little if he finds out."

She set a plate with eggs and bacon on it in front of him. "Well, good. I'm glad we both understand. I have to admit, you're better than I expected. I still prefer girls, but I know enough to realize you weren't half bad."

Sasuke chuckled. "You're not the first to say that."

She smirked at him. "One of those two girls is...yours?"

He frowned at that. "No way. I'd never get any peace if I did it. I like women who aren't interested in attachment."

The woman nodded at that. "I can understand that. Eat up and drink your coffee. You'll feel better faster with some food in your stomach, and the coffee will take some of the edge off your hangover."

He gave a grunt and started eating. "Thanks. It was fun." He'd never had a more mature woman. The Kitsune took the form of younger girls. He'd never thought to ask for older, but decided he might consider it in the future every once in a great while to mix things up a little.

OooOOooOO

Ino staggered out of her room with a frown on her face. She was rubbing at her eyes and scowling as she shuffled out of her door. It was her first night in her room, and she couldn't really remember much beyond getting sick in the bathroom at the Fox Den. She seemed to have made it back all right though.

She stopped just past the doorway in the hall with her shoulders slumped and a half dead expression on her face. A familiar forehead was across from her, in almost the exact same pose. "Hey...what's a billboard doing in the hall?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes, difficult to do considering they were almost closed to shut out the irritating light. "Did someone plant some beans in front of the room across from mine?"

The pair turned in unison, shuffling towards the showers.

"I guess we're neighbors," muttered Ino.

"Seems like it."

"About last night..."

"Right, never again..."

"Hey, what happened to you two?" grumbled a familiar female voice.

"They look dead," agreed another.

The two ANBU twitched and turned to look over their shoulders.

Anko and Yuugao were looking at them with amused smirks on their faces.

"Y-you two live here?" muttered Sakura.

Anko shrugged. "The rent is cheap."

"Hey. New neighbors?" exclaimed a sunny voice.

"Yeah," said Anko. "This is Ino and Sakura. Recent graduates."

"I'm Aya," a bouncy orange haired girl who was just a bit taller than either of them jumped into the hall. The seemed very excited and cheerful. She had her hair in two pigtails that draped down to the middle of her back.

The two girls put their arms up as if they were vampires shielding themselves from the sun.

The new woman looked at her fellow tenants. "Aw, are they not morning people?"

"We're, hung over," growled Ino. "Could you move?"

"Yeah, I'm not so sure I have the energy to walk around you," agreed Sakura.

The orange haired girl stepped aside and watched them both shuffle by sluggishly. "Aw, partied too much?"

Anko rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm sure they'll adjust." She had a plastic coffee mug with a spill proof lid in her grip and sipped on it.

Yuugao nodded. "We'll have to give them a proper greeting later. Calm down, Aya. I doubt they'll appreciate it much now."

The orange haired girl frowned a little. "You two seem like you know them. What gives?"

Anko nodded. "I inducted their team into the ANBU."

Yuugao chuckled. "I'm only familiar with Ino. I was her representative for her Chunin exam."

The other girl got wide eyed. "Wow! Those are -those- two?"

"What two?" A head was poking down from the ceiling. A girl with frosty blue hair was poking her head down from the ceiling. She appeared to be half inside a puddle that was suspended on the ceiling.

"Yuki, those two are the two girls on Team Shadow!" exclaimed Aya as she hopped in place.

The blue haired girl had long hair that was almost touching the floor. She seemed to rise out of the puddle completely and crossed her arms as she looked towards the bathrooms. "Team Shadow, huh? That's interesting I guess."

"Yeah, they're supposed to be scary good." Aya sounded a little in awe and nervous.

"They don't seem so impressive." Yuki looked unimpressed.

Yuugao chuckled. "Neither are you when you wake up hung over."

"What type are they?" asked the blue haired girl as she flipped over to the floor. She was getting a little head rush from being upside down.

Anko sipped at her coffee and looked at a folded newspaper as she leaned against the wall outside her own room. "They're all stealth specialists. Sakura is training under the Fifth Hokage to be a medic. They're both new to Chunin, so I'm not sure about elemental types yet. They've not had any training for it yet."

Yuki nodded and seemed to consider it. "So, they're pretty weak still then. Great, noobs."

Aya scowled at her. "Don't say that. They made ANBU."

"Huh. She's right you know. You shouldn't be so cold." Another young woman appeared. She had short cut black hair and a towel over her shoulders. Her right ear had earrings all up and down the length of her lobe, and her eyes were silver.

"Tatsumi. You're up early." The blue haired girl narrowed her eyes at the newcomer.

"I had a late shift. I'm still up actually." She crossed her arms and looked at her. "That's Team Shadow, huh? Doesn't look like much."

"Well, that's half of it anyway," commented Anko.

The short haired girl nodded. "Whatever. They're green, but they don't seem like bad kids. We'll show em the ropes and all I guess."

Yuki smirked slightly. "Of course. All of us started out as noobs. It's not like I want to get rid of them, Aya is right. They were strong enough to join our ranks. We'll get them up to speed."

Aya nodded at that. "Right. The kunoichi dorm club has to stick together!"

Tatsumi gave a snort. "I wonder how strong they are?"

Yuki sounded amused. "Well, they're no match for any of us obviously."

The orange haired girl frowned at them. "Well, they are new. We can't expect them to do everything right away."

"Hey, hear that Ino, we're no match for them."

"Yeah. I guess we'd better be careful."

The group in the hall all whirled around. Anko and Yuugao were the only two who didn't seem the slightest bit surprised.

Ino and Sakura were rubbing towels in their hair and looking on with a cup of coffee in their hands next to their room doors. They still looked tired and lazy, but the both of them had somehow gotten through the crowded hall from the bathroom without anyone seeing them.

"What the?" muttered Tatsume in confusion.

"When did?" said Yuki as she looked at them and then over her shoulder towards the bathroom.

Ino smiled at her. "Well, you were all talking, and we didn't want to interrupt you..."

"Yeah." agreed Sakura. "You all live here too?"

Both Aya and Yuki jumped. She was standing in between the pair in the hall. Neither one had seen her move from her doorway.

"H-how did?" muttered Aya in confusion.

Sakura shrugged at her and seemed pleasant. "It's what we do. All of you are ANBU?"

Tatsumi nodded. "Yeah. This whole floor is ANBU kunoichi only."

Yuki narrowed her eyes as she looked back and found Ino wasn't by her door anymore. She jolted a little as she turned back to find her standing next to her and paying attention to the short haired girl. She calmed herself and seemed cautious. "Yes. It's an apartment complex, but everyone calls it the dorms. The whole building is only leaf Kunoichi."

Ino looked at the blue haired girl. "Is there a boys dorms too?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I heard about it before. This place too. Sasuke and Naruto both have their own places though, they wouldn't be living there."

Aya gave a small sigh. "Uchiha Sasuke? Too bad he's not older. He's cute..for his age."

Ino smiled at her. "Isn't he though?"

"Naruto? I've heard about that guy," said Tatsumi as she seemed to think about it. "Never seen him though. No one has ever been able to tell me what he looks like."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. He's like that. I'm not about to upset him, he doesn't like us to tell anyone about stuff like that."

"Right," agreed Ino. She looked at Sakura. "Say, aren't you supposed to meet the Hokage?"

The pink haired girl blinked. "Huh? What time is it?"

"A few minutes after twelve," replied Anko as she looked her watch.

"Crap! She'll kill me if I'm late!" She dashed off down the hall.

Yuugao smiled as she watched. "Heh. They'll fit right in."

Ino gave a small sigh. "Well, I'm going to take a nap."

OooOOooOO

Sakura slid to a halt in the street. She was gasping for breath, but made better time than she'd thought. She was closer to the Hokage's office than she realized. She still had about twenty minutes and she was right in front of the steps to the building. "Great. That worked out." The girl was pleased with herself. Someone caught her attention walking down the road nearby. "Huh? Sasuke? What are you doing here?"

He frowned at her. He looked a little hungover still. She was feeling better, but not completely recovered herself. "Huh?"

She smiled at him and looked confused. "Are you all right? You look hung over. Don't you live on the other side of town?"

He shrugged at her. "I crashed in Naruto's Aunt's room last night. It was too much trouble to try and walk home."

The girl seemed confused by that for a moment. "That was...nice of her I guess. We were all pretty drunk, you and Naruto both had quite a bit."

The boy shrugged. "Yeah. That stuff wasn't bad. I'm gonna have to remember it. Just, not quite so much next time. I ended up finishing that bottle with Miss Uzumaki, and now I'm heading home. I'll probably take a nap or something when I get there and sleep it off."

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm still a bit off myself." The kunoichi smiled and turned away. "I've got to go before I'm late. I hope you feel better."

Sasuke watched her go and turned away. "Huh. Yeah. Later." She wasn't so bad sometimes. Not that he was interested, but he had to admit she was less annoying than Ino, even if just by a little.

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting behind the bar of the Fox Den next to Yuugao. "What's up?" he asked her in a calm tone.

The kunoichi was scowling at him. "I wanted to talk to you."

He gave a small shrug. "About what?"

"Why did you cut me out?" she hissed. She wasn't pleased, but didn't want to make a scene.

He nodded and looked at the glass in his hand. It was a soda, it was a bit early for alcohol. "Oh. That."

"Well?" she growled.

"The same reason you're sitting here now. You're too hot headed on the subject of Sound because of Hayate. I understand and all..."

"What?" she snarled as she stood up and her eyes went wide.

He shook his head. "This was a stealth operation, if you'd lost your cool and control of your emotions in the heat of things, it could have cost people's lives. It was too much of a risk for my liking."

She glared at him. "You don't trust me? Why not?"

He looked at her as calmly as ever. "Because the last time you ran into Sound ninja, your orders were to capture them alive if possible. Not scream 'For Hayate' and cleave their spine in half. You didn't even try to capture him."

That caught her off guard. "I..see."

He shook his head. "This was one operation. You'll get the chance to strike against Sound sooner or later. It's not that I don't trust you, or that I doubt your ability. I had everything I needed already though."

Yuugao didn't look happy with him, but didn't say more than that.

He took a few gulps of his drink. "I don't care much for Sound. Sooner or later, we're going to have to face them. I've heard enough about you to know you're a well respected kunoichi. I don't have anything against you, and I understand how you feel."

"Do you?" she snapped.

"He told me he intends to kill my son, and I believe him. He knows exactly what it will mean for this village if he dies." Naruto frowned at her. "I hate Orichimaru as much as you do. He'll do anything he can to destroy Konohagakure."

She hung her head and backed off.

The boy gave her a sidelong glance. "You'll get your shot. Don't worry. This is far from over."

Yuugao frowned at that. "Promise me you won't cut me out again. I want in on any operations dealing with Sound. I know how to behave, I'm a Jounin."

He glanced at her. "No way."

"Why not?" she growled.

"Look. I wouldn't make a promise like that to anyone. I'm not sure if I could keep it, and I don't make promises I can't keep." He gave a small sigh. "Why are you being so difficult? I got no problem with you. I had all the help I needed without you."

"I want..."

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I know. To be an 'Avenger'. You're the second person I know who has that bone headed idea stuck in their head."

The woman looked a bit shocked and blushed. "What?"

"Jeez, one of you was enough trouble. We're probably going to be dealing with Sound for a while. You'll have plenty of chance to get back at them, and I'm not going to promise to drag you along every time I do anything against them." He frowned at her. "Just go with it, sooner or later, we'll end up working together."

"Are you mocking me?" she growled.

The young Jounin frowned at her. "No. I'm serious. You've met Sasuke before right? He's one of those revenge driven types too. If that mission involved Itachi, I wouldn't have wanted him anywhere near it."

Again, she was caught off guard and lowered her eyes to growl in frustration. She could see his point, but didn't care for it much.

The boy finished his drink and pushed off the bar. "Sorry, but your personal feelings on the matter are less important to me than who gave the mission the highest chance of success. Maito Gai has a better record than you, and no emotional ties to the matter. The other Jounin were just there supervising while my team took point. It's what we do. You know we're a specialist team. I didn't need you this time, if I do, I won't hesitate to ask. Like I said, you're a good kunoichi from what I know. I've got nothing against you or anything."

She scowled, and still wasn't happy. She wasn't very upset with him about it though. Not that it made her like it any more. "I see." She stood up from the bar and walked away. "Thanks for your time. Sorry to bother you."

He looked a little frustrated with her attitude about it, but she seemed to understand at least. She didn't seem to care for it much though. He just sat there and picked at a bowl of pretzels and peanuts at the bar in silence for a few minutes before wandering back to his office.

OooOOooOO

Kabuto scowled as he knelt before Orochimaru's image on the screen. "The fox brat has become troublesome. We've lost our bases in Fire Country. All of them, he uncovered them all, and disarmed our precautions. Meaning he now has full access to any information present in our records at five of our bases."

The serpent man sat glaring at him, his fist in his cheek. "I see."

"The Sound Four has not returned, dead or captured. I was able to discover that at least two of them were captured alive, the other two are dead. Meaning there is more information in the hands of the enemy as we speak. I doubt any of them will resist torture for long. We should assume they know everything they did."

Orochimaru growled and his eyes grew dark.

Kabuto was very relieved he was not able to give the report in person. He froze as he felt something sharp against his neck. "Wha?"

"Should I kill him?"

The angry serpent man glared at him and seemed to consider it. "No."

Kabuto let out the breath he was holding and looked over his shoulder to frown at the man behind him. "Kimimaro, you should be resting. Your duties are finished now. Your only job is to take care of your body."

The figure was on his feet and sat down on the edge of the medical container that had housed his ailing body. "How much time do I have?"

"You should..." started Kabuto.

The figure glared at him, the wards wrapped and pinned to his head already torn from their base. He pulled the tubes from his mouth. "I am useless as I am now. I cannot be used as a container. The attempt to acquire has failed."

Kabuto frowned at his tone. "I had nothing to do with that, or the attack on our interests in Fire Country."

"Calm yourself Kimimaro, he is correct. Otherwise I would have had you gut him for me. It was not Kabuto's failure that caused this mess. The man responsible for the failed safeguards will not survive the day, as will the idiots who failed to notice the difference between a recorded loop and normal operations."

The man took the wards from his head revealing shoulder length gray hair and a zig zag part line. "I shall bring the vessel. To repay my uselessness."

Orochimaru put his fingers together and seemed to consider it. "Kabuto."

The man pushed his glasses up his nose and shook his head. "I doubt he'll make it back. He intends to assault Konoha alone. We cannot assume he'll survive. I expect he will cause considerable damage, but attempting to use him to kidnap Sasuke would prove useless." He looked at the screen. "The fox brat, or his son?"

Kimimaro scowled at Kabuto. "Perhaps you are right, I had hoped my death would prove more...fruitful."

Orochimaru hissed in frustration. "No. Kimimaro, if you feel you must. If it is what you wish, then go. Kill the two remaining failures and any intelligence you happen to find.. If possible, destroy Naruto Uzumaki, but only if opportunity presents itself. Do not chase him, he's clever, and will seek to distract you. Do not expect a direct battle with him, even if it appears as such."

The man frowned at that and considered it. "Kill the surviving trash? I'm surprised those weaklings survived this long."

Kabuto looked over his shoulder at him. "Are you sure this is what you want? It seems like a bit of a waste to me. He may be strong enough to take care of the Fox Brat, perhaps even his son?"

Kimimaro looked at the image of Orochimaru. "You wish this..Uzumaki dead?"

"We told you to focus on the other targets for a reason," said Kabuto in warning. "If you start chasing after him, he'll have you chasing your own shadow and you'll fail for certain."

Kimimaro looked over his shoulder as he pulled on a uniform and paused by the door. "Is he strong?"

Kabuto shook his head. "He's a relatively weak fighter. Don't think that makes him any less dangerous. He's smart enough to find any weakness and exploit it. Don't let your guard down, even for a moment. No matter how weak you think he appears." He reset his glasses and narrowed his eyes. "Take him out if you can, but chasing after him would prove pointless, you'd just waste what little life you have left doing it."

Kimimaro narrowed his eyes and nodded as he left the room.

Yakushi looked frustrated. "It seems like a waste. However, I doubt he'd be able to do even this much in a day or two. I suspect he'd only survive a month or two more. It's a shame." He looked at his master. "I'm not questioning your decision, but might I ask why you chase to send him after worthless prisoners rather than set him on the Fox Brat or his son? There's nothing they might know that the intelligence the Leaf would have gained from our bases would not easily surpass."

Orochimaru shook his head. "The child will vanish at the first sign of trouble. The Hokage will be sure to have precautions in place. The best way to deal with Uzumaki, is to draw him out. Force him to fight head on." The man did not seem amused or upset. He simply looked at the medical ninja.

Kabuto nodded. "I see. You expect that Naruto will..."

Orochimaru nodded. "Yes. He will try to defend his intelligence. By targeting the two remaining of the pathetic four, we'll draw him right to Kimimaro."

The gray haired ninja nodded. "Well, I wish him luck then. There's nothing more I can do to assist him."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was relaxed and sitting in front of his home with his son on his lap.

Umi was beside him with a glass of iced tea in her hand. She frowned at it. "I've never had cold tea before. It's not bad."

The boy smiled at her. "Yeah. Sounds weird doesn't it? This lady I met in Wave Country made it while we were there. I kinda got hooked on it since then." The baby in his lap cooed as he bounced him on his knee.

"He's cute, has his Grandmother's eyes." The woman gave a warm smile at the grinning baby.

Naruto looked at them. Kitsuma's eyes were a dark violet in color. "Huh? Really?"

The woman nodded and sipped on her tea. "Yes. I didn't know his father, but I'm guessing from that carving on the mountain he looked like you."

He glanced up at him. "Yeah. Seems that way I guess. I don't remember either of them. Speaking of which, it's just you and your brother then? I mean, the family."

She shook her head. "No. Your grandfather still lives. He's...in an asylum in Whirlpool. I'm actually kind of grateful for it."

That caught the young blond off guard. "Huh?"

Umi hung her head a little. "He didn't take mother's death well. He was all right, just a bit muddled and lost."

Naruto frowned and listend in silence.

The woman looked up at the sky, wiping a bit of the condensation from her glass on her shoulder. "He didn't want Kushina to become a ninja. I looked up to her, and...she was dragging me along with her. I wanted to be like her, she was pretty, and tough. None of the boys messed with her." She had a wistful smile on her face. "He hated your father from the start. Thought he was encouraging her to act like a boy. I guess he was, and he didn't approve when he asked her to come here to stay with him. Get married eventually. I remember them fighting about it, but...I never really met him. She left a short time later. It upset him, and he's always regretted what happened between them. I don't think he ever forgave your father. He probably never would have liked him. Still, he didn't want Kushina to just disappear like that." She hung her head a little and had a serious frown on her face. "When she died, it was all he could take. He snapped, tried to take his own life a few times. We couldn't do anything, and he ended up in the Asylum. I hate to say it, but he's safer there than he would be anywhere else. I visit him when I can, and he's treated well."

The boy nodded with a sullen look about him. "I'd like to meet him."

Umi gave a sniffle. "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea. He might mistake you for Minato. I never really met him, but I saw him a few times. Sneaking around with my sister, I used to help cover for her. He's likely to get confused and attack you."

The young ninja seemed to think on that. "Still. You were close with my mother?"

She smiled at him and gave a nod. "Yes. I used to look up to her. I became a ninja because of her. I wanted to be like her, she was strong, and proud, and a bit loud. Everyone used to call her a tomboy, but that stopped a bit before she left when she turned out to be really pretty. Very serious minded, a lot like you, but..louder I guess."

Naruto chuckled at that. "Yeah. That perverted old Sannin said something like that. He used to know my mother too." He looked at his son. "He's not going to grow up on his own though. No matter what."

Umi glanced at him. "Being a ninja is dangerous work. You can never really say that for certain. I suspect you're taking S and A ranked missions. I won't press, but..."

He nodded. "Kitsuma will be fine. I've made arrangements in case anything happens to me already." If nothing else, his mother would take care of things once she returned in a few years. Even if the worst happened and he got himself killed, there was little concern that the Kyuubi wouldn't be able to take care of him, or that she would be a threat to Konohagakure.

His aunt nodded. "Right. That's good to hear." She looked away. "Thanks for...helping out with that by the way. I'm still not entirely sure about your reasons, but..I'm putting in a request for two ninja teams before I leave."

Naruto smirked. "Yeah. It may come in handy to have the Daimyo of Whirlpool owe me a favor like that. I admit that the fact that you're family had something to do with it, but...that's not the only reason either."

She looked at him and frowned a little. "Thanks. Even if it doesn't work out, at least...I'll have tried to do something. It means a lot to me."

The boy grinned at her. "Yeah. I hope it does, I like you, and it won't do me any good if it doesn't."

She nodded. "I'm going back to my room. Thanks for the tea, and I'm glad to see you're doing well."

He stood up and dusted off his pants while hefting the baby in one arm. "Well, feel free to drop by again."

The woman smiled and bowed. "I'll do that. I'm leaving in the morning, and I probably won't see you again. So, goodbye, Nephew."

The blond nodded. "Yeah. It was nice meeting you, Auntie."

The woman walked off into the village and Naruto walked inside his home a moment later. Kitsuma was getting a bit fussy in his arms, and he set him down in his crib. The baby stood up and watched him walk away. His face contorted a little, and he started to cry.

Naruto gave a heavy sigh and sat down at the table. He didn't like listening to it, but he could tell he was being cranky because he was tired. He'd just eaten, and his shorts were still fresh. If he left him for a few minutes, he'd calm down and go to sleep.

Kira wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. "Everything went well?"

He nodded and set his glass of tea down. He'd only half finished it before coming in. "Yeah. I can only hope things work out for her. Wish I could take care of it myself for her, but...it would just make things difficult if I got directly involved."

Koruma was sitting across from him looking rather bored and lazy. "Well, I guess I see your point. Though, I'm not so sure us footing the bill is 'not getting directly involved' either."

Naruto smirked. "If it doesn't work out, then things will be no worse in Whirlpool."

Masara yawned and stretched her arm as she sat down. "...and your Aunt will be dead, and we'll be out quite a few Ryo. Not that it matters to us mind you, but still."

He glanced at the green haired girl and frowned a little. "She's miserable. I don't think she'll have any regrets." He made a circle on the tabletop with his finger while Kira rubbed at his shoulders. "Besides, if it does work out, then Whirlpool will owe Shadow Realm big. I had planned on letting it slip who was footing the bill for it after the fact. Fire Country is pretty safe for us, and seems like it should stay friendly. Still, it never hurts to have a back up plan, and if Whirlpool owes us that big, we'll have a safe haven if things here take a sour turn in Fire Country."

Koruma smiled at that in a lazy manner. "Hey, good plan, Highness."

"You're so smart!" squealed Kira a little too cutely.

"What's with you anyway?" grumbled Naruto. She was a bit more clingy than usual.

Masara chuckled. "She's in heat."

"Yeah. It's been a fun day for us," agreed Koruma.

The blond boy nodded. "Oh. Well, Kitsuma is still up. Lay off and be patient for a bit would you?"

Kira frowned. "I'm horny now though."

Naruto looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Then take it outside and run around in the woods with those two. He's cranky, and it's probably going to be a bit before he settles down." Kitsuma had gotten quieter, and was whimpering as he settled down for the night.

She glared at the pair and crossed her arms. "I'm bored with them. I'll just wait."

"Ouch," replied the pair as they mocked having their feelings hurt.

OooOOooOO

On the south wall surrounding Konohagakure, an ANBU kunoichi stood next to a ninja in an eagle mask. Her mask was tilted up over her face like a visor, and a cigarette burned between her lips. She was young, in her early twenties and had a smirk on her face. "Beautiful night."

"Yeah, good visibility," replied the eagle masked ANBU. "The moon is bright..." He didn't hear a response and chuckled. "What, you're not going to scold me for not seeing the beauty of it?" He turned and froze.

The woman was bent over with wide eyes and clutching the arm that was stuck in her belly. Her cloak was poked up behind her back, and blood seeped between her lips and down her hands. "Gh..." she muttered in pain.

"No! You!" snarled the man as he pulled out a kunai and tried to jump back.

The calm looking gray haired ninja put his palm into his jaw before he even finished unsheathing the weapon. A spike poked out of the top of his head as his eyes went wide, twitched, and then rolled up in his death. Kimimaro frowned as he looked down the wall into the village. He could see the administrative offices in the main building at the center of town. He had already breeched the walls undetected, and doubted he would have much trouble making it to the office building. The west wing was the detention center. The prisoners he was looking for would most likely be found in a sub basement. The first few floors were minimum security, and likely housed little more than a few rowdy drunks and minor trouble makers. Any real criminals would have been transfered to the Fire Prison outside the capitol.

He scanned the village and scowled. "So, this is Konohagakure? Heh. Easier than I expected." He jumped down and moved into the shadows of the alleys. His time was limited, and while he did not fear death, he wanted to get as close as possible before revealing himself.

OooOOooOO

Hyuuga Hiashi frowned as he walked down the street. He'd been dealing with some clan business at the police station. The ANBU were watching him, and he was keeping tabs on the affairs. He didn't need to hide his intent or what he was doing. It was expected of him to try and keep an eye on those nosing around his clan. The Hokage was not being unreasonable, and he had no intention of giving anything interesting to report.

"Ah, Hiashi. I hope you are well."

He paused and narrowed his eyes a little. The man had not surprised him, but he was not expecting him to speak. He stopped and turned his head a little, but did not look directly at the stranger.

The bald man bowed. "I am..."

"I know who you are. You should know well why I have little interest in conversation. What do you want?"

The monk did not lose his grin. "I see. Forgive me for being so forward, but I am not my predecessor. I am a Monk, and I would not harm a child, even if the Raikage ordered me. I am not his puppet, though he may think otherwise. I know of your younger brother, we have studied together for many years. I assure you, had I any interest in your admittedly interesting eyes, that I have had ample opportunity."

The shinobi spared him a glance. "Forgive me if I'm less than impressed by your words. I am not so stupid as to think you are not aware that he is a member of the branch family. If nothing else, a man in your position should know what that means."

The bald man chuckled. "Yes. I'm afraid that I do. Still, your eyes have lost some of their...allure shall we say? Perhaps our eyes are not the Byakugan, but I assure you, they were working quite well during the last exams."

"Do you have a point?" growled Hiashi in irritation.

"I'm here to represent Lightning Country's interests. I care not for Kumogakure, or the Raikage's ambitions. He was almost replaced by his brother for that blunder. The Daimyo was not pleased by his use of my predecessor."

"You expect me to believe that your interests might serve me?" Hiashi gave a smirk. "You're a fool, even if it's true. I've got no interest in aiding Lightning Country. You are foolish to even approach me in the open."

The man closed his eyes. "Heh. There are no eyes upon us here. I know you can see that much. You had a tail, but they lost interest in you a few streets back. You're nearly home, and I'm the last person they expect you'd speak too."

The man nodded. "I wonder why that might be?"

The monk smiled he walked up beside the man without fear and walked with him. "I believe we have a mutual problem. This Shadow technique that frustrates you is dangerous to the ninja world at large. I admit, Kumo would not mind getting it's hands upon such a technique, but we'd rather see it destroyed, than just let it go unchecked."

"Why should I care?" growled Hiashi.

"Come now. I'm no fool. The power that girl wielded in the Chunin exams is a direct threat to your position in Konoha. The status of your clan is at stake, the honor of the Hyuuga is threatened."

"I know. Though, I am uncertain which is the greater threat, Kumo's manipulations, or a technique even I do not know the true origins of." He stopped walking and looked the man up and down.

The monk nodded. "Fair enough. Think about it though. I trust Raikage with this about as much as you do. I do not serve him, but the Daimyo of Lightning. I'd rather see such a dangerous thing destroyed, for my own reasons."

Hiashi frowned at him. "You're a Chakra sensor?"

The bald man nodded. "That's right, a great many schools of ninjutsu are threatened by the advent of this...abomination. Centuries of tradition and techniques could be destroyed by this..thing. I want to find it's origins and see to it they are eliminated."

Hiashi shrugged. "Good luck, you shall do it without the aid of the Hyuuga."

"The name is Okami, think about what I've said. I'm not a fighter, but perhaps we can be useful to each other. The more powerful this parlor trick seems, the more difficult it will be to eliminate. You are in a position where you can make things difficult for them. I'm not asking you to murder anyone Hyuuga. I know you're being too closely watched for that."

The man paused in the street again. "What did you have in mind?"

"Use your contacts to find out where they'll be, learn of their missions before they receive them. We make sure they fail, and make things as difficult even impossible for them. Soon, the pressure will get to them, and they'll be crushed. The Hyuuga clan will be made to look competent and it's discipline and order will save Konoha's reputation. Leaving Hyuuga on top once again. Kumo may be jealous of your eyes Hyuuga, but Lightning would rather not trade the devil it knows, for the one it does not."

Hiashi glanced back at him with a smirk on his face. "I may just help you, just to watch you fail. You don't know what it is you toy with. I expect you'll find out soon enough. Good evening, ambassador of Lightning. I'll consider your offer, it may prove...entertaining."

Okami was surprised and frowned at him a little. He was clearly confused, but refrained from speaking. "As you say." He bowed and turned away.

Hiashi watched him wander off. "Tell me, Neji, did you find that stimulating?"

His nephew walked out and frowned at him. His arms were crossed and he was dirty from training. "Why would I?"

Hiashi looked at him. "You've earned your rank. Continue to do well boy."

The boy furrowed his brow, looking just as confused as the monk. "Of course." He looked down the road.

The head of his clan waved his hand. "Come with me boy."

His nephew walked along beside him. He jolted a little as the man put his hand on his shoulder.

Hiashi ignored his surprise and looked down at him. "It is best if no one hears of that. We must be on guard. The Hokage does not trust the Hyuuga, and even if we make ourselves seem the most powerful ninja on this world, it will mean nothing if we are not trusted. We are being watched, and now is not the time for such rumors to reach the ears of others."

That seemed unusual for the man to say. He looked at his uncle. "So, what will you do then? I doubt you intend to ignore Uzumaki, or his friends."

Hiashi smirked in a cold way. "That man, does not seek to aid the Hyuuga. He seeks to use us to further the ambitions of his home. He would stab us in the back in a moment if it benefited him to do so."

"I noticed," growled the boy as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Good," said Hiashi. "For the honor of the Hyuuga, I would give my own life in an instant. I will not aid us by getting us destroyed. I am not so foolish as to not have learned from the mistakes of the Uchiha."

Neji nodded. "I see." He looked up at his Uncle. "You're confusing old man. I'm not sure what to make of you."

Hiashi smiled a little at that. "I see." He slapped the boy in his chest with a paperback book and looked down at him. "You are young, and you can afford your rivalry. I think your ambition to become stronger than Uzumaki is admirable. I, however, must think of the position of our clan. Continue to seek strength as you are boy. I will do what I must. I suggest that you read this more carefully than I suspect you have."

Neji took the book and frowned at it. It was Naruto's handbook. He'd read it before, it was interesting he supposed. "This?"

Hiashi looked over his shoulder at him. "That is a window into the mind of the one you wish to surpass. You will not defeat him until you can fully understand what is written in those pages. It is said that you are a genius, and I believe that it is true. Neji, perhaps you might even find something within that book that even I have not grasped. You work admirably, and I support your goals. As leader of the Hyuuga, I cannot consider just your ambitions. Be aware, the aim that you seek is far more difficult than I suspect you have yet realized. The technique is dangerous to our clan, but it is not Uzumaki's greatest weapon. That, you now hold in your hands, he knows well what it means. If you ever wish to defeat him, you must learn it as well."

Neji frowned at the book. It looked worn and well read. His uncle hated Naruto, why would he read something written by him?

The man stopped in front of the gates to the Hyuuga manor. "I see that you are confused. Open the book, read the eighteenth line on the thirteenth page, and meditate upon it."

Neji flipped through the book and peered at it in the moonlight with a confused frown on his face. He read the passage out loud to himself. "Hence the saying: If you know the enemy, and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you neither know the enemy, nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." The boy closed the book and balled up his fist. He had no idea what to make of Hiashi.

With a final sigh, he walked back into the Hyuuga home and to his room. He was tired, and needed rest before he trained any more.

OooOOooOO

Sasuke was walking through a familiar hallway. It wasn't the best memory of his, but he was a lot more relaxed about the place. This time, he was on the other side of the doors. He looked about at the ceiling lights and whitewashed walls. It was all messily painted concrete with heavy metal doors painted over with the same brush strokes as the walls. The hinges on the doors had rust, and heavy locks on them. He turned a corner and saw the door to his destination.

He walked through and into a darkened room. It was lit by a small desk lamp in the corner, and from the light coming from the two rooms on the other side of the two way glass. It was like looking into the room through a pair of sunglasses. A tall imposing figure was standing in the room in a long black coat with his arms crossed.

The boy looked over at him. "You wanted to see me?"

Ibiki nodded and didn't move. There was classical music playing in the background, and a ninja Sasuke didn't know was being tormented in the room. "Yes. That's right."

The black haired boy looked on at the scene without much emotion. "Anyone of interest to me?"

"No. We'll probably be releasing him soon. We're not sure yet, but he seems to have just crossed the border without realizing it. He's a Rock Country ninja, we found him near to the body of a missing nin from his country. He won't be making another mistake like it again, but it seems he was genuinely unaware that he'd crossed our border chasing his target."

Sasuke gave a snort and didn't sound very sympathetic. "Stop it, you'll make me feel bad for him."

"Huh. There's no harm in you seeing it. Might serve as a reminder to be aware of your surroundings in the future. That's not why you're here though. Uzumaki requested that I give you that folder on the desk."

"He could have just given it to me himself," muttered the boy as he looked at it.

Ibiki turned his head. "Actually, he couldn't. He outranks me in most situations, I'm the Special Jounin in charge of information and interrogation. Even if he is an ANBU Captain, I still need to sign off on the release of intelligence information. I see no reason to withhold that information from you. We got it from the Sound Base that Kurenai's team assaulted. It had one of Yukashi Kabuto's offices in it, a small medical facility."

"What is this?" said Sasuke as he opened it up. His eyes went wide. "Itachi."

"Yes. It turns out that Orochimaru wants you for your eyes, no surprise there. It turns out he tried to pull some shit with your brother and got his ass kicked. Itachi nearly killed him, he spent a bit of time recovering there."

The Chunin nodded and peered at the file. There were a few photos, and mentions of his brother. "Burn scars, severe mental trauma, slashes. Did a real number on the guy."

"Seems that way," said Ibiki with a nod. "That's not the interesting part. It's disturbing, but his plans for you are...less than pleasant."

Sasuke sat back in the chair and picked up a stapled stack of pages that detailed some odd sort of technique that Kabuto had observed. "What? Sounds, sort of like Shintenshin."

Ibiki nodded. "Yes. That's not accidental. A few of the clan went missing while Orochimaru was in Konohagakure still. At the time, they were casualties. They all appeared to have gotten killed or captured on missions. We never suspected that one of our own was hunting our own teams."

"Twisted," growled Sasuke. "He wants...to take over my body?"

The man looked through the glass as they took down the unfortunate ninja. "Yes. It seems that way. He's discovered a way to hijack people's bodies. He's of the belief that it makes him immortal somehow."

The raven haired boy frowned at that. "Sounds like a reasonable assumption. If his body is too damaged, he can just switch to a new one."

Ibiki chuckled. "If it bleeds, we can kill it."

Sasuke frowned as he went over the page. "It says something about some sort of limits, but stops short of explaining what they are."

The man grunted. "Noticed that too did you? I doubt it's accidental. It was probably removed long before we arrived. He doesn't want his subordinates to stumble across that sort of information. Kabuto appears to be his personal physician according to what we've found. I suspect that he's been assisting with his research for some time. He's probably the only person alive besides Orochimaru himself privy to that particular information."

Sasuke nodded. "Naruto will be interested in trying to find that out. Still, it's nice to know what that bastard wants with me. His personal history with my brother might prove useful. I doubt they care much for each other."

"That's a reasonable assumption." Ibiki looked at the door.

Sasuke stood up and closed the folder. "Those guys, haven't reported back yet. Have they?"

The man frowned at him. "They should have by now."

"I don't hear anything," said Sasuke as he looked up at the speaker that had once been playing classical music. "That's unusual isn't it?"

Ibiki scowled. "Very."

The wall of the torture cell burst inward as it was crushed from the other side.

Sasuke looked on as two figures appeared as the dust started to settle. One was standing with an odd looking sword in his hand and a scowl on his face. The other was slumped against the opposite wall, covered in dust and rubble.

"What the hell?" said Sasuke in shock. It was the Spider ninja he'd captured and brought in recently.

"If...you're going to kill me, just do it. I've suffered enough," he growled. "I was loyal, I didn't give anything up. I deserve a quick death at least."

The man smiled in a dark manner. "Deserve? Ha. That's not for you to decide. You failed, and now it has been decided that you should die a slow and torturous death!"

"Shit!" growled Sasuke. "I thought the walls were warded in here. He shouldn't be able to use any Jutsu."

Ibiki looked surprised. "They are! If he did that in here, he did it without jutsu."

The tall gray haired figure stabbed down with his blade and impaled the spider boy in his gut. He twisted the blade and glared at him as he grinned.

Kidomaru screamed in pain as he clutched at the weapon. Blood poured out of the corners of his mouth as he looked up with wide eyes. The stranger put his foot between his shoulder blades and pulled the weapon out of his gut, cutting the boy's hands in the process. "Pathetic fool. I always knew you didn't deserve that seal. You're nothing, and Orochimaru told me to make sure that you knew he regretted ever letting such weaklings serve him. You're so fond of calling others trash, but you've turned out to be no better."

"Kidomaru!" screamed the redhead in horror as she peered through the broken wall. "No! How could you! You fucking bastard! Maybe we weren't strong enough, but we were loyal! We didn't tell them anything!"

The tall figure turned to face her and kicked the fallen boy in his face, breaking his nose in the process. "You're next. Sound does not suffer weaklings and fools." He walked over and grabbed her by her shirt. She tried to backpedal away on her hands, but he lifted her up before she could get far enough back.

"No!" she screamed in horror as he reared his blade back.

There was the sound of breaking glass and she felt the world spin around. Before she realized what was happening, she found herself on her rear. With a surprised sounding yelp she looked around.

A boy with black hair and handsome features hand locked blades with Kimimaro. The gray haired ninja growled as he was pushed into the wall by the stranger. "Here to kill your friends?" snarled Sasuke.

"You assume these pathetic beings are my friends?" said the cold figure. He gave a humorless laugh. "Don't be absurd."

Tayuya was in tears, and had crawled over to the mess that Kidomaru had become. "Kimimaro you fucking prick! You were supposed to lead us! We were your team!" She was holding his head and looking the man.

He turned his eyes at her. She didn't shy away in fear. "You should watch your mouth."

She held her surviving companion's head. "Or what? You'll kill me? Isn't that what you're here for anyway?"

"Tayuya, run you stupid cunt," growled Kidomaru through his injuries.

Sasuke pushed off the thing and slid across the floor. He looked over his shoulder. "Don't just stand there idiot! Get out of here!"

"Fuck you! I'm not leaving him!" she snapped.

"Then take him with you!" said another of the boy as he started pulling up the injured ninja on his shoulder. "Dumbass!"

Tayuya was panicked. "If we move him, he could die!"

"If we don't, he'll die for sure," replied Ibiki as he helped pull him into the observation room through the broken glass. After they were in, he stepped into the room.

The stranger scowled at them and seemed calm and indifferent to his prey escaping. "You intend to get in my way? That isn't wise."

Sasuke chuckled. "My boss is always telling me I should use my head more."

Ibiki had two kunai knives in his hand. "Sasuke, you go with those two. I'll hold him here."

"He's pretty strong," replied the boy as he sidestepped towards the open window.

Ibiki frowned. "This is my domain, and I'm in charge. That's an order, protect those prisoners and get them away from him. They're more useful alive than dead."

Tayuyua gasped and looked at the scene with wide eyes. "What?"

"Come on," said the other Sasuke as he pulled her towards the door.

The gray haired enemy scowled at that. "He is, Uchiha Sasuke?"

The who had backed into the interrogation room frowned. "What of it?"

"The great Orochimaru does not wish you dead. I shall have to be careful when I kill those two."

The boy nodded and turned away, leaving another of himself in his wake as he ran out the door after himself and the two prisoners. He responded to the enemy. "There's nothing great about that loser. He disgusts me, and I'll never join him. I know what he's planning, and I'll have none of it."

Kimimaro smiled at him. "You make it sound as if you've got an option."

Sasuke scowled. "You make it sound as if I don't."

Ibiki frowned. "This is all very interesting, but you should know, that the seal wards in this room, don't effect me at all." He put his fingers up and a swirl of flame formed around his body.

"As if that matters," replied Kimimaro.

OooOOooOO

"Where are you taking us?" said Tayuya as she helped Sasuke carry Kidomaru through the narrow hallway.

The one behind her answered. "I'm not sure yet. We can't take him to the hospital until we lose that guy."

"Lose him? You idiot, we're already dead. Just leave me here, you might have a chance without me." Kidomaru chuckled. "I've always toyed with my opponents. This...is an ironic end for me."

Sasuke ignored him and moved ahead of his clone and the girl to open the door ahead of them. "You know that guy?"

Behind them there was a loud crashing. The hallway filled with dust as someone was thrown through the wall and hit the opposite side of the hallway hard.

"Fuck!" snapped Tayuya in horror.

"Great," grumbled Sasuke.

Kimimaro stepped over Ibiki. The interrogator was slumped against the wall and wasn't moving. The enemy ignored him and stalked towards his prey with his eyes narrowing.

The door was heavy metal, and Sasuke slammed it closed and sealed it up as he got everyone through.

Tayuya pulled Kidomaru along. "Fucking dumbass! Don't stop! That door won't hold him long!"

Sasuke growled at her tone but kept going. "Who the hell is that?"

"Leave me," grumbled Kidomaru in irritation. "I'm dead already. You've got a shot if you just..."

Tayuya kneed him in his wound. "Shut the fuck up you whiny prick! I'll die before I leave you to die like that! I'd rather kill you myself than leave you to that asshole Kimimaro."

"Kimimaro?" muttered Sasuke as he practically dragged them both up a stairwell. "Who the hell is..."

"I am!" The wall just below them burst open as the gray haired ninja burst out. Rather than go through the door, he had burrowed around it into the wall. White bone like spikes were poking out of his wrists and his back was filled with dozens of them poking up into the air from behind him.

"Fuck!" screamed Tayuya as she started running. The clone helping her released Kidomaru as the real him took over and rushed further up the stairs.

"Humph. Shadow clones. You're impressive to make so many at once. I had thought the Kage Bunshin technique was forbidden. Abandoned for the safer and weaker Bunshin jo jutsu."

The boy settled to defend his position. "You should see what my boss can do."

Kimimaru seemed immune to amusement. "You mean Uzumaki? I'd very much like to meet him." His shoulder opened up and the bone inside poked up. He pulled a familiar looking blade out of his arm. "You're troublesome, but I can't kill you. Destroying your clone should pose no problem."

"We'll see," growled Sasuke. The guy liked to talk, a bit too much. He was in the middle of an enemy village, taking his time about stalking them. "You're...not really after them, are you?"

He smiled. "They'll die, do not doubt that. I see no reason to rush."

"Well, you've got to go through me first," said the raven haired boy. He tightened his grip on his sword and held it in a backhanded grip.

"I see no problem with that..." Kimimaro sidestepped as the boy passed by in a slash. The clone dispersed in a puff of smoke as he stabbed it through the gut.

OooOOooOO

"Shit," growled Sasuke. "He's past my clone."

Tayuya frowned. Kidomaru was dripping blood all over a polished floor and was in bad shape. He was conscious and grunting in pain.

Sasuke pulled them towards the doors. "Outside." He kicked them out and pulled her onto the street. It was dark, and they were empty. The boy reached into his shirt and pulled out what looked like a flare.

"What are you doing?" snapped Tayuya.

"This guy is some kind of monster, and I can't drag you both around and fight him off at the same time." He pulled off the top and the tip burst into flame. He pointed it at the sky and looked at them. "Don't look directly at it."

The girl averted her eyes, and Kidomaru couldn't lift his head up far enough to see it anyway. There were three small puffs, and a few moments later the sky was filled with small pops.

"Fireworks?" grumbled Tayuya as she looked up at the sky. The Leaf symbol had lit up the sky three times.

"Every ANBU in the village will be here shortly," said the boy as he glared at her. "Come on. We can't hang out. That guy is..."

"Right here." said Kimimaro. He was standing behind them and brushing dirt off his shoulder. He had just burrowed through the street.

"What are you? A mole?" growled Sasuke.

The gray haired ninja frowned at Tayuya. "The more you run, the worse it will be when your time comes. You know you can't escape. There's nothing that can save you."

Sasuke snarled. "I told you already. You've got to go through me first!" He charged and attacked.

Kimimaro blocked his strikes and slashed at him with his own. Spikes of bone burst out of his chest and arms as he swung at Sasuke.

The Uchiha boy growled as he darted around them and barely avoided the blows. His ANBU cloak was shredded and ripped in the assault, but he only got a small gash on the back of his hand. He hopped back and licked at it. Kimimaro had punched down at him and created a large crater in the ground.

Tayuya had managed to keep Sasuke between herself and her former leader. "He's just playing with you."

"I know," replied Sasuke and Kimimaro at the same time.

"Fucking idiot! We need to get away! He's stronger than the other members of my team were together!" She was having trouble holding up her old teammate, but he was still able to use his legs enough to help a little.

"He's able to use his bones as a weapon, and can grow and dissolve them at will." He frowned at the edge of his ninjato, it was chipped in a few places. "He can make them as hard as he wants as well. That's interesting."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Those eyes of yours have kept me from landing a solid blow. It won't last, I'm exerting minimal effort. My defenses are superior to your attacks. It's just a matter of time until you tire and I'll destroy you."

Sasuke's sharingan faded. "I don't use it much. It takes a constant flow of chakra to maintain. My blood makes it easier, but it's still kind of a waste."

Kimimaro put up his arm and frowned. There was a sword blade stuck into his forearm, but his dense bone stopped the blade cold. "Huh. You seek to stab me in the back. Are you too much of a coward to face me head on like a man?"

The boy chuckled at that. "I'd rather fight you like a ninja, right?"

"What the hell is all this noise?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she stepped out onto the scene with her hand on her hip. "You'd better have a good explanation for this, Uchiha. Why are those prisoners out of their cells, and who the hell is this?"

Kimimaro scowled. "I see. It seems you were successful in stalling me. How...embarrassing." He didn't seem worried.

The raven haired boy smiled at his opponent. "Sorry, Hokage. Didn't mean to wake you."

Tsunade frowned at the man. "Look at these potholes! As if I don't have enough complaints as it is."

Tayuya looked around with Kidomaru hanging from her shoulder. "Hey. Who?" She was surrounded by ninja in cloaks and masks.

The woman nodded towards the pair. "Take care of him, and secure that prisoner."

Kimimaro scowled at her. "I'm afraid I can't allow that." He waved his arm and jumped towards Tayuya.

The girl screamed and put up her arms. She gasped as she found herself lifted up by someone. She felt very warm and looked at her knees with wide eyes. "Huh?"

Sasuke landed cradling her in one arm. Five kunai knives landed in the road, along with five small bullet like bones from Kimimaro's fingers. "Sorry, Hokage. Maybe I should have said so sooner, this guy is pretty strong." The girl noticed the strange tomoe markings spinning around his pupil fade. She fumbled to look over his shoulder, but found Kidomaru in the arms of another ANBU. It was a female in a bear mask.

"Shit, he's messed up pretty badly," growled the Kunoichi. She hefted him up on her shoulder in a fireman's carry. "I'll take him up to Shizune. I'm not strong enough to do anything for this kind of damage."

"Ouch, you bitch. That hurts," he grumbled irritably.

Tsunade was purposely not looking at the injured boy and nodded. "We'll keep him off of you. Go."

Sasuke shoved the redhead off and stood up. "Stay put."

"Are you fucking crazy!? I'll die!" she snapped.

Tsunade looked at him. "Sasuke, your job is to protect this girl, and make sure she doesn't escape."

He made a frustrated sounding groan, but nodded. "Great. I was hoping to dump you off and get in on the fight."

Kimimaro scowled. "I see. I have no choice then. It will speed my end, but I cannot fail." Familiar markings started to move across his features.

A familiar voice called out over them in alarm. Yuugao was one of the ninja who had responded and she set herself in a more defensive stance. "Get ready! That's the cursed seal, it will make him much stronger!"

"So, that's it huh?" muttered Ino.

"We should be careful then, I heard about that stuff," said a wary sounding Kunoichi beside her.

About ten ANBU had gathered around the scene and surrounded Kimimaro. A few kunai bounced off of him as he transformed. A tail grew from his rear, and large horn like bones grew from his back as his hair became white and his skin leathery and inhuman. "Now, I must destroy you."

Tsunade frowned at that and narrowed her eyes. She didn't look that worried. The monster blasted forward at an amazing rate of speed. The ANBU around her gasped as it blurred almost too fast for most of them to follow.

Sasuke was about the only one who didn't look worried. "About time you showed up."

Naruto stood in front of the calm leader of Konoha. He had his blade against the forehead of the beast. It had stopped cold and had it's claws spread. "Sorry, but it's the duty of the ANBU to protect the Hokage. You'll not get near her while we still live."

The creature narrowed it's dark eyes. "I see."

Tayuya had her hand on the back of Sasuke's cloak. She tugged on him as she eyed a nearby corner. "Come on."

He glanced back and snorted. "What? You want to hide now? Forget it."

"Fucking idiot. Kimimaro is just getting started." She tugged him along. He resisted, but just a bit.

Almost in answer to that, Naruto was thrown into the air. The thing became a blur of motion and assaulted the ANBU. It punched, kicked and slammed into them, diving in and out of the street as if it was made of water. The masked cloaked men and women were tossed about and thrown into walls and stairs.

After about a minute, everyone but Tsunade, Sasuke, and Tayuya was on the ground and groaning in pain.

Naruto had ended up at the Hokage's feet and was holding his side. He managed to sit up. "Damn it, I knew I should have stayed in bed."

She frowned at him. "I'll..."

He looked up at her. "You're the Hokage. You should let us do our job." He had managed to get to his knee. "Ino, can you get that prick out of the ground?"

"No problem," said the blond girl with a scowl on her face. She had a nasty mark across her jaw and her mask was on the ground a few feet away. Naruto was still wearing his, but it was skewed on his face a little.

He nodded at the kunoichi next to her. "You there, you got something that you can throw at him to obscure his vision?"

The young woman nodded. "Yeah. Sure thing."

He nodded at the blue haired kunoichi to his right. "You, you're a water affinity?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Can you summon enough to flood the street with it?" he asked her. "Just for a second or two?"

She nodded again.

"Great. Follow my lead."

He charged at the monster and Kimimaro swatted him aside with his tail. He turned and snarled as he narrowed his eyes at Tsunade. He dove into the ground and the woman stepped back with a calm expression on her face. She kept her gaze on Naruto and ignored the disturbance in the ground moving towards her.

Ino jumped over her head and screamed as a gigantic ethereal blue arm formed leaving her right arm limp. She punched down at the disturbance, landed just in front of it, and jerked the arm into the sky.

Kimimaro roared and struggled, whipping about in a violent manner as he was tossed fifteen feet into the air and flipped around.

The nervous sounding kunoichi blew a great fireball into the air in the same manner as Sasuke. The enemy put his arms up to shield himself from the strike and snarled in frustration.

The aqua haired girl with a turtle mask finished her hand seals and a half foot of water appeared on the ground in the street.

Naruto waved his arms and added his own chakra to the mix. It swirled and twisted into the water.

The beast came slamming down into a mass of ice spikes that filled the street.

"Whoa! That was cool," muttered the nervous sounding girl.

"Crap," growled Naruto.

The thing was already on it's feet. It tapped it's clawed feet on the crushed ice and narrowed it's eyes at him. "I see what the great Orochimaru meant now. You are a clever one, but you are also weak."

It blurred and lifted him up by his neck as it appeared before him. Naruto made a choking sound as his teammates cried out in alarm. A blade of bone shot out of Kimimaro's palm and he thrust it into the boy's gut. "All too eas..." The ninja he was holding vanished in a puff of smoke. "What?"

Naruto's voice spoke up from behind him. "What kind of ninja are you? Don't you know, if you're in a fair fight, you've already failed?"

The thing looked down at it's chest and growled. There was a sword blade stuck through it. "I see. So, you are as dangerous as I'd heard."

Naruto cursed as he was forced to abandon his blade. He had tired to stab it through the heart through it's back, but something inside had deflected the blade away from anything vital.

"Do you understand yet? You cannot hurt me. No one can. Even the strongest of strikes are rendered nothing but superficial and useless before my defense." It turned to face him leaving the blade where it was.

Naruto pushed off and jumped away as it slammed it's claws into the ground. He ended up sliding on his back across the ice. "Crap. Okay, new plan."

A huge club slammed into the back of the thing. Kimimaro growled and looked over his shoulder. A massive giant was wielding it and familiar music filled the air. "Tayuya." Even the full force of the blow was little more than an irritant to Kimimaro. He pushed his claw against the club and sent the thing toppling onto a rooftop. "You fucking bastard! If you had just killed us and been done with it, I would have gladly just allowed it. We served with honor, and if you and Orochimaru cannot respect our sacrifice, then fuck the both of you!"

"It's just a matter of time until I find you," he growled as he scanned the rooftops. The ANBU were surrounding him again trying to find some sort of hole in his defense.

"Okay, what's the new plan," asked Ino cheerfully.

Naruto was holding his side and panting as he leaned over his knees. "Hey. None of you is excused from thinking just because I'm here."

"Nothing phases this guy!" growled Yojimbo in frustration. "I'm not much good here, anything I've got that might be strong enough to hurt him through that defense is likely to bring down half the village with it." The thing was almost ignoring the three giants that were assaulting it in the middle of the street. He caught their weapons and shoved them back without much effort. They ended up messing up a few rooftops, but none of the buildings were completely destroyed.

Tsunade was looking on with a calculating frown on her face. "I could step in at any time."

Naruto frowned at her. "We've got this."

The woman rolled her eyes.

Kimimaro seemed to get annoyed enough to dive back under the ground. "Crap," grumbled Naruto as he popped out of the ground long enough to swat three more of the ANBU away. He started burrowing away towards the general direction of the flute music. The giant things were getting back up and lumbering after where it looked like he was going.

"You. Musician. That technique you used against me? Do you think it won't effect him?" said Yojimbo as he jumped onto a nearby rooftop and watched the thing burrow under the street, ruining the pavement in the process.

Tayuya's voice called out. "He's too fast. I'd never catch him, especially in such open ground."

The ANBU Jounin glanced at the pig masked kunoichi. "Can you pull him out of the ground with that trick of yours again?"

Ino smirked as she seemed to catch on. "Well, get it ready then, we'll deliver him."

Tayuya's tune changed. The creatures all stopped moving and a spiritual energy erupted from their mouths eyes and noses. The stitches holding them together stretched open as it happened. "Oh, sick," grumbled Ino in disgust. She jumped across the rooftops and glared at the disturbance in the ground. It was following the sound of the music, and seemed to be unaffected by the Genjutsu that made it difficult to pinpoint.

She sailed over one of the streets, once again driving her hand into the ground in the disturbance. Once again the monster gave a frustrated grunt as it was ripped from the ground and flailed about in a violent manner.

It glared down at the blond girl. "You've become bothersome. As soon as I land, I'm going to kill you."

The girl grinned as she cocked her ethereal arm back. "Who said you're going to land?" She pitched him into the air.

The thing's eyes went wide as he sailed into the air and jerked himself violently to try to change his trajectory. It was too late though, he passed right through where the three ethereal beings converged on a single point. He hit the pavement on the other side like a rag doll and rolled across the cobbled stone street for several yards.

Tayuya stepped out of the shadows and snarled at the body. "Fucking trash." She had a small flute from the junk show she'd dragged Sasuke over to in her hands. Her curse seal was activated, and she looked demonic in appearance.

The boy who had helped her moved up behind her and put a kunai up to her throat.

She froze in place and glowered at him. "What the fuck are you doing?"

He smirked at her. "You're still a prisoner you know. Hand it over." He opened his palm and motioned with his fingers.

She slapped the flute into his hand and growled. The cursed seal faded and her body returned to normal. "Fucking jerk. I wasn't planning on running. I've got nowhere to fucking go." She hung her head. "If I escape, I'll be hunted in Fire Country, if I manage to get out of the country, Sound will hunt me down and kill me. No matter what happens, sooner or later, I'll die anyway."

The raven haired boy shrugged and put his kunai away. "It's not so bad. You helped us out, to save your own skin, and your friend's too. If you cooperate now, you'll have it pretty good here." He flipped the flute around his wrist and tucked it into his belt.

"I didn't do it for any of you fucking trash." She glared at him and snapped. "I hate this village. I'm through talking to you. Torture me to death if you want. They abandoned us and tried to kill us, I hate them too. I'm still not sure who I hate more."

He shrugged at her. "Whatever."

A moment later they were in front of the building. Tsunade frowned at her. "Well, we've got a few questions for you and your friends. It can wait until later." She gave a heavy sigh and looked at the street. "What a fucking mess."

Naruto was sitting on the stairs along with most of the ANBU. They were nursing minor wounds, and beaten up pretty good on the whole. The ANBU captain gave a chuckle. "I'm glad I'm not a Genin anymore."

"Huh? Why not?" muttered Aya, the nervous sounding Kunoichi. "It certainly hurt less."

Ino smiled at her. "Are you kidding? Who do you think is going to end up cleaning this up? It's a D ranked mission if I ever saw one."

Tayuya hung her head and glanced over her shoulder at Sasuke before speaking to the Hokage. "Is...is Kidomaru all right? I didn't do this for any of you...that fucking trash...he's...the only friend I've got left, and it's thanks to your village."

The woman arched her eyebrow and nodded. "I'll send word as soon as I discover his condition. I think he'll be all right, but I'm afraid you'll be staying with us for a while. I'll take what you've done into consideration."

She frowned at that. "I don't fucking care. Just, don't let him die. That ugly basement dwelling pimple farm shouldn't get off so goddamn easy as that."

Naruto scowled at her. "Well, isn't she just full of sunshine." He couldn't really blame her though. "Sasuke. Nice work."

The boy nodded. "Yeah, thanks for that info by the way. I'm sure I'll find it useful."

He glanced at the blond girl rubbing at her cheek beside him in irritation. "You too Ino."

An ANBU landed on the ground in front of Tsunade. "Hokage, we've discovered two bodies, and a point of entry for the enemy."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I see."

The man nodded his own face covered by a mask. "It's Amabure and Kintaro."

"Shit," growled Yuki.

"Oh, no," muttered Aya.

Ino glanced at the pair. "Someone you know?"

The pair nodded. Aya looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "She lived in the dorms with us. Tatsumi was...really good friends with her."

Naruto stood up. "I'm sorry to hear that." He glanced at the Hokage and the woman nodded at him.

"All right, everyone up. Come on. We've got a long night ahead of us. We've got to sweep the streets and look in every corner and rat hole in Konoha. Make sure there are no more intruders running about. We've got no idea how long that wall has been undefended."

Tsunade looked at Yojimbo. "I want every ANBU in the village on the streets in ten minutes. Double the patrols, and lock down the streets until the search is completed. We're on high alert for a few days, I want extra patrols for the next few days at least.."

Sasuke frowned as he saw Ibiki being helped from the building. He pulled Tayuya along with him towards the man and nodded as he got close. "You all right?"

He gave him a faint smile. "I'll live. You get that bastard?"

The boy nodded. "This one helped out." He tugged on the frustrated girl's arm.

"Hurry up and get me to a cell. I don't want your fucking hands on me you prick."

Ibiki chuckled. "Well, good for her." His face fell. "I've got to report to the Hokage. I lost two good men today."

Tayuya scowled at him. "Forgive me if I don't shed a tear. You and your fucking dipshit friends did spend a couple of weeks torturing me. I wouldn't exactly call those assholes 'good men'."

Sasuke pulled on her. "You don't know when to shut up do you?" He dragged her along, and she resisted, but just enough to make things difficult for him.

It was a pretty noisy trip to the cell. Completely due to Tayuya's mouth. She raged and cussed at him, pounding him with her fists, and giving him irritating kicks to his shin ans he pulled her back down to the cells. He unhooked a set of keys by the door and shoved her into one of the undamaged rooms.

She burst into tears as he slammed the door on her and leaned up against the wall holding her arms. She froze and stop as she heard the view port slide open. She turned and gave a nasty look back at him. "What the fuck do you want? Leave me in peace?"

He didn't seem amused. "Your friend is stable. He's going to be chained to a hospital bed, but he'll probably live. Thought you might like to know."

Her features softened very slightly, but she didn't seem happy. The redhead just gave a quick nod and turned away from him. "Get the fuck out of here. I want to be alone."

Sasuke didn't seem impressed. "Whatever. Look, for what it's worth, you learn to watch your damn mouth, and you'll get on all right here."

She snapped back at him. "I don't fucking want to get on all right. I hate you, I hate this village, and I hope you all die. You're nothing but fucking trash, all of you! I hope you kill Orochimaru and destroy Sound, but then Kumo or Iwa comes and burns this place to the ground!"

"Maybe, but around here, people who don't look after their comrades, are considered lower than trash." He closed the porthole and left her alone.

Tayuya slumped down against the walls, grabbed her knees, and sobbed. "I fucking hate...everything."

OooOOooOO

Naruto scowled as he slumped down into a chair and relaxed in his home. "Ugh. That was awful."

Kira set down a cup of hot tea in front of him. "Hard day?"

"You've been gone a while," said Koruma as he looked up at the clock.

"Yeah, it's been like twelve hours," agreed Masara. "What happened?"

Naruto frowned. "Some asshole attacked Konoha by himself. He was trying to kill those two Sound prisoners."

"By himself?" muttered Koruma in shock.

The blond boy nodded and pulled off his shoes. "Yeah. I know right? He killed a few people, left an awful mess, and we had to sweep the entire village three times to make sure he didn't sneak anyone else in with him. Plus, we've all got extra guard duty for the next two weeks. We're bumping up security for at least that long." He slumped down and closed his eyes. "I'm just glad it's over with."

Kira rubbed at his shoulders and he murmured in pleasure. He was very tense. "Well, I'm glad everything is all right."

Naruto gave a nod. "Yeah. I'm gonna sleep for hours." He settled into a comfortable position.

Kitsuma decided it was time to wake up, and started bawling. Naruto's eyes snapped open and he hung his head. "Of course."

Kira smiled at him. "We'll..."

Naruto gave a small frown. "No. I'll take care of it. I'm not going to get any sleep until he's happy anyway." He staggered over and the odor hit him immediately. "Great. I swear, it gets worse smelling every day."

OooOOooOO

Ino was sitting across from Tatsumi. She had a can of beer in her hand and looked appropriately sad. She wasn't faking it, but didn't know the girl either. The girl was depressed, but the other girls she met earlier were all with her. Sakura was in much the same position, and was looking out the window at a light rain and gray skies. It seemed appropriate for the moment somehow.

Yuki scowled and made the drops of water on her can of beer swirl about the outside of the can. She was zoned out. Aya was quiet, something both of the team Shadow girls had figured out was unusual. Tatsumi had beer cans surrounding her and tears in her eyes. She looked over at the two new girls. "She was looking forward to meeting you two. We all knew you were coming a couple of weeks ago."

Yuugao sat nearby with a frown on her face. "She did seem pretty excited. Most of us here are older." She was a bit away from the rest of them, with Anko resting against the wall looking up at the ceiling beside her.

Ino nodded. "She sounds nice. I'd like to have met her."

Tatsumi chuckled. "She probably would have annoyed you two. She was the oldest in her house, and had four little sisters. She was the youngest one here and sixteen, and she hated it. She kept going on about how we all treated her like a kid."

Sakura looked a little pensive. "Even if we didn't like her, we wouldn't have wished for something like this."

Anko gave a sigh. "I knew Kintaro too. He was a nice kid."

Yuki looked over at her. "He had a bit of a crush on Amabure. He was a nice guy. I think she was starting to notice it."

"Yeah," grumbled Tatsumi as she took another drink.

Anko glared at the ceiling. "Welcome to the ANBU."

The younger girls all looked at her.

Yuugao gave a nod and took a drink from the can next to her. "Here's to hoping it's a bit longer before we're all sitting like this again."

The other girls didn't speak up. Yuki knew what they meant and nodded.

Sakura and Ino were sympathetic, but glad they were a bit detached from it this time.

Aya shivered and rubbed at her arms.

OooOOooOO

Sakura gave a small sigh as she walked out of the room with Ino. They had stayed for a bit, out of respect for their fellow ANBU. Neither of them knew the girl though, and they left the others to grieve for their friend.

The pink haired girl tugged on Ino's arm. "Come on, let's go get lunch or something?"

The blond nodded. "All right."

The pair was moving through the entrance hall on the first floor. It was a four story building, and they resided on the third floor. The fourth was reserved for Jounin level ninja, and was pretty empty. Most Jounin had their own homes, or had gotten married. The 'dorms' were only for single kunoichi without children. They were mostly populated by a younger crowd. The bottom two floors were usually relatively full, but the ANBU and Jounin floors were only sparsely populated most of the time.

"Ino? Sakura?" the two girls turned and looked at who had called to them.

Tenten walked up and smiled. "Hey. Are you visiting someone here?"

Ino shrugged. "We live here."

The black haired girl smiled. "Really? I haven't seen you around before."

Sakura nodded. "We live on the third floor."

Tenten looked surprised. "Third floor?" she looked over her shoulder and saw two levels of windows.

Both of the ANBU girl's arms tingled before they said anything.

Ino gave a small sigh. "We're ANBU. You probably won't see us much beyond running into us on the way in and out."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, we keep odd hours, and we're pretty busy most of the time."

"Oh," said the dark haired girl. "Well, be sure to say hello if we run into each other. I'll see you later. I promised some friends I'd go shopping with them later. Bye."

Ino looked around. "All the girls who stay here our age live down here."

Sakura shrugged. "Actually, I think Hinata is the only other girl in our class."

The blond frowned at her. "You know what I mean. Every other girl we hang around now is at least twenty."

The pink haired girl nodded. "Well, I guess so. That's not so bad."

Ino gave a sigh. "It's not as cool as I thought it'd be, but I guess you're right. We don't talk about the same stuff we used too. When was the last time you talked with another girl about a great pair of shoes, or some coat you saw in a shop, or what kind of fruit goes best with chocolate, or how bad you felt after eating a really great desert, or a great haircut or something? I haven't been shopping with friends in ages, you're the only person I even hang around with lately who might be interested."

Sakura scowled at her. "I never did to begin with."

Ino scowled at her. "Yes, that's right, I forgot. You're a social freak. You get what I mean though."

"Well, so what? We're a bit more mature then?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "It's boring."

Sakura scowled up at the sky. "Jeez. I forgot how bright it is out here during the day."

Ino hung her head. "I know. I'm not used to being off and having free time when everyone else is awake and the sun is up."

The pink haired girl chuckled at that. "It is a little weird not having to be in class anymore isn't it?"

The blond nodded. "Now that you mention it, yeah. I mean, we're grown up now, and it's our full time job being kunoichi. It is kind of strange, no more library, or study hall, or classes. Not that we get to stop training or anything. I mean, this is the first day off we've had in ages. At least, when we were actually up during the day that is."

Sakura sighed. "Yeah. So now what? Do you want to look at shoes and talk about dresses or whatever then?"

Ino frowned at her. "No, I'm hungry."

"Where too then? Chinese? Ramen? Yakitori?"

The blond looked at the sky. "What's closest?" She thought on it for a moment and ammended. "Never mind, what's cheapest?"

"Ichiraku," said Sakura as she jerked her thumb in the general direction.

"Ramen it is!" she pointed her hand in the sky.

It didn't take five minutes to arrive, sit down.

"Hey." Naruto glanced over from his spot and seemed cheerful. "Nice day huh?"

"Oh, you're eating here too?" asked Ino in surprise.

Sakura chuckled. "At least once a day."

"Usually twice," said Naruto with a pleased looking nod.

"Diet Ramen?" said Ino with wide eyes.

"Yes, that's right," said Teuchi as he puffed out his chest and set a couple of bowls in front of Naruto. "It's selling better than I thought. My little Ayame came up with it."

"What is she? Two?" muttered Naruto as he broke his chopsticks.

The man's daughter was a pretty young woman of about eighteen. She was working behind the counter and looked pleased to see the blond ninja. "Speaking of which, won't that boy of yours be big enough to start having a bowl with his dad on occasion? You should bring him by to see us more often, he's so adorable!"

He nodded. "Maybe I'll bring him by later. He's still a bit young for Ramen yet though. A few more months at least. He's just starting on solid food, and too much spice isn't good for him."

Sakura smiled at him from across the counter. "I'm surprised you're still up."

He nodded. "Kitsuma was a bit fussy. I'll probably turn in early, but I'd just end up lying in bed if I tried to sleep now. I could say the same of you two."

Sakura hung her head. "Yeah. Some of our neighbors were friends with those two who got killed last night. It was a bit depressing and we just couldn't sleep. Now we're stuck awake for a while too I guess."

Ino nodded. "Yeah."

Teuchi gave a grave nod. "Yeah. I heard about that. Whoever it was made an awful mess in front of the administrative building. The Genin will probably be cleaning it up for a few days."

Naruto gave a sigh. "Well, they may not realize it, but it's definitely better than making the mess. I'm gonna be sore for a few days in some places."

"Yes. Most Genin aren't wise enough to realize that," said a familiar voice.

"Kakashi sensei!" said Sakura as she turned to smile at him.

"Hey," said the man.

Naruto smiled in greeting. Iruka was with him and smiled while giving him a small wave. "Naruto. How have you been?"

"Have a seat you two, it's on me," said the boy as he motioned for them to join.

Teuchi smiled at that. "Don't worry about it. It's all on me for this group this time."

Sakura and Ino looked surprised. "Are you sure?" asked the blond.

Ayame was fluttering her eyes at Kakashi. "He can afford it. We pay our rent in Ramen."

Sakura's face fell. "Huh? How does that work?"

Naruto was eating and looked over at her. "I'm the landlord."

The pink haired kunoichi nodded. "Oh. It suddenly makes sense."

Kakashi nodded. "Doesn't it though? How have you been? Everything going all right?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Well, it's been a bit of a mess since last night."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. A couple people got killed, and the main street is a mess up by the Hokage's office."

Iruka gave a grave nod. "Yeah. I saw it. The whole street is wrecked. What was that about anyway?"

The three teens went quiet. Naruto spoke up. "All we can really say is some idiot tried to attack Konoha by himself last night. We were all up most of the night dealing with it."

Kakashi nodded. "Been a while since something like that happened."

Iruka looked perplexed. "By himself? What kind of idiot would do such a thing?" He wasn't really asking and seemed annoyed. He glanced at Naruto. "So, how are things?"

The boy smiled at him. "Going very well really. Last night was awful, but on the whole things have been working out well."

"Sasuke didn't tag along?" Kakashi didn't sound that surprised.

Naruto grinned. "Nah. He's passed out at home. He was in on most of the excitement last night. He seems to be the only one who got any sleep after that mess was over." The young Jounin smiled at his former instructor. "He's doing really well though. I'm a bit surprised."

"What do you mean by that?" growled Sakura.

"Yeah, Sasuke is awesome," agreed Ino.

Their leader shook his head. "He's still an emo prick, but he's a useful emo prick at least. We're getting along well considering."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Boys. You two are practically best friends."

Iruka smiled at her. "It's a guy thing. Don't worry about it."

Kakashi gave a nod. "He's right."

"It's stupid, why can't they admit that they're best friends and be done with it?" snapped Sakura irritably.

Naruto laned over towards them. "Yeah. Why would anyone act that way? I'm sure the two of you have absolutely no clue about that." He pointed his chopsticks at them and narrowed his eyes.

They both turned their heads away from him in the same manner and crossed their arms. "I don't know what you're talking about!" the said at the exact same time.

Iruka and Kakashi remained silent and appeared to not notice this.

Anko walked up to the ramen bar and looked around. "Hey, Teuchi, you seen that lazy boyfriend of mine around?"

The man shook his head. "No. He doesn't work for two days. Ryuu will be here later."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "No, he'll just help him dodge me. I'll catch him sooner or later." She turned and walked away. "If you see him, let him know that I'm not letting him get away so easily."

Everyone ignored it and they all had their food set out before them and settled down to have lunch as soon as she walked away.

"I wonder what that was about?" said Ayame.

"I'm happier not knowing," said Naruto. He suspected, but wasn't about to get anywhere near it. "The world is a happier place if you ignore stuff like that and let it be what it is naturally, without getting involved."

"A wise move," agreed Kakashi.

Iruka nodded in silent agreement as well.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Next Mission.


	44. Chapter 44

WARNING WARNING. Some nasty stuff is more than implied ahead. Not in a comedic light either.

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto.

Part 44

The next assignment.

OooOOooOO

Naruto stood leaning against the Hokage's door frame with a casual air about him. His team was standing in front of her desk and standing at attention. He shook his head and chuckled at the expression on his rival's face.

A month had gone by since the attack on the Sound prisoners. Things had been quiet for the village, but not for his team. He'd not seen a single night of guard duty since, and had been out of the village five days out of each week. They hadn't met a single client in all that time, though they had left a few bodies in their wake, as well as keeping tabs on individuals, and lifting a few documents here and there. They hadn't been spotted once, and their opponents and targets had never even known they were there.

"Huh?" said Sasuke as he actually uncrossed his arms and let his jaw drop a little.

Tsunade smirked at him. "I said, you've been promoted. Congratulations." She handed him a new vest with a slightly slimmer cut and a few more pockets and hidden compartments to it. "You are now a Special Jounin."

The boy nodded and took it with a somewhat dumbstruck expression on his face. "I see. I suppose I should say thank you." He didn't look too certain about it.

Naruto put his face in his hand and gave a sigh.

The woman nodded and was a little amused by his reaction. "That will do."

"Great job, Sasuke!" chirped Sakura.

"Yeah. Awesome!" agreed Ino as she bounced next to him.

"I didn't do this on a whim you know." She folded her hands in front of her face and smiled at him. "You've shown the maturity needed, you've got a handle on elemental manipulation, and thus far, your service has been above and beyond what was expected of you. I expect you to keep it up." There was a little bit of threat to her tone.

The raven haired boy nodded as his expression became firm. "I won't fail."

She nodded. "I know. I wouldn't have done this if I expected it."

Naruto was as calm as ever. It was the first he'd heard of it. "Huh. I'd never have guessed," he thought to himself.

Tsunade noticed his silence. "Something to say, Naruto?"

The boy looked up at her and seemed cheerful. "I'll worry. He's still rough around the edges and bone headed. Though, I suppose I could say the same of most of the other Special Jounin I've met."

"Your team has impressed me Uzumaki. I've got a mission for Team Shadow, and I want to speak with you when you get back. Don't send one of the girls with the report this time. I don't mind, but we've got something to discuss." The woman laid a folder on top of her desk.

Sasuke picked it up and looked inside. It was a picture of an older man in rich looking scarlet robes. He was in his late forties at least, possibly a little older. "What do we want with him?"

The Hokage frowned a little. "He's to be eliminated. You can expect a lot of this kind of assignment in the future. You're a Special Jounin now, and your specialty is assassination, scouting, and infiltration."

The boy nodded. "What informatin do we have?"

"He's Moranu Ibatchi, a Lord of Fire serving under the Daimyo." The woman leaned back. "You'll find him in the capitol city. He frequents the sakura gardens in the early afternoons habitually, spends his evenings in his manor, and most of his days in his office. The office is off limits, you'll plan your strike elsewhere, in his home, or in the park are your best bets."

Naruto strolled forward. "Are we making it look accidental, or sending a message?"

Tsunade smiled at that in a dark manner. "The latter." She narrowed her eyes at the team leader. "There may be a girl with him, about nineteen. In front of her if possible, we'd like her to see it, but it's not required."

"That's all we need then," replied the Jounin. He turned away, "Unless you have anything else, we'll be on our way." His team moved to follow him.

"Not interested in what he did?" asked Tsunade.

"Does it matter?" replied Sasuke without looking back.

"If you want to tell us, I suppose we'll listen, but it doesn't change the mission does it?" commented Naruto.

The Hokage gave an approving nod. "Not really," The man had accosted and raped the Daimyo's daughter in his home when she was visiting his daughter. He paid for her silence, threatened her, and had nearly gotten away with it. The girl wasn't talking, and had kept her mouth shut. Unfortunately for him, he'd gotten her pregnant.

The Daimyo was understandably furious, and had ordered that the child's father be discerned through genetic matching. Ibatchi had no sons and his only brother was dead for more than ten years. There was no doubt of the culprit. His daughter was still terrified of the man, and had refused to name him. He was powerful and influential, and had thought himself above such measures even if discovered.

The appearance of just that was being given. He was to marry the girl in the near future, or so he thought. He was capable of carrying out his threats as well. Ibatchi didn't seem surprised that the Daimyo had given in to his suggestion of a marriage to uphold the girl's honor.

Naruto strolled out of the office and cocked his head. "Ibatchi, huh?"

Sasuke glanced towards him. "You know him?"

The blond shrugged. "I know of him. Never met him. He's not a minor target and considers himself a rival of the Daimyo with good reason. He's been plotting to kill him and take the seat for years. Never had an opportune moment, as the Daimyo has been on to him for just as long. He's got a lot of support in the National Council. His own little faction waiting for the tide of power to turn."

Sakura frowned at that. "You certainly keep your ears to the ground. I'd heard about him, but most of that is news to me. He's supposed to be a perverted jerk, and Tsunade sensei won't send any kunoichi in any duties relating to him from what I've heard."

Ino nodded. "Yeah. I heard Mitsukashi talking about him. She said she got stuck guarding him once as a diplomatic escort to Wind back when the Third was still in charge. He kept trying to get her into his room while she was supposed to be guarding his door and felt her up every chance he got."

The pink haired kunoichi chuckled. "I wish we could tell her about this. She'd be jealous."

Naruto scowled back at her. "You shouldn't take this so lightly. We're going to kill him."

The kunoichi flushed and hung her head a little. "You're right. Sorry."

Ino cocked her head. "I wonder why now though? I mean, if he's been trying to kill the Daimyo for years, why not get rid of him sooner?"

Sasuke spoke up. "He's useful. Politics, he's a strong member of the National Council, and despite that he's trying to stab him in the back, the Daimyo has been able to use him. They're not so dissimilar policy wise."

Naruto nodded at that. "He's right. It's not our business why anyway. Our job doesn't concern 'why'."

Sakura looked annoyed. "How do you know all that anyway?"

"I read the paper," replied Naruto.

Sasuke clicked his tongue. "I hate reading the paper. I do it anyway though, it's more useful than I'd thought."

"Told you," replied Naruto. "You two should start. You'd be surprised how often whats in there relates to what we do. In fact, haven't I told you this before?"

They both went quiet and sulked back a little.

"Yeah, yeah. Shat up." Sasuke looked annoyed. "I hate it when you're right about something, you don't let it go."

Naruto smirked at him. "Yeah, well you're second in command now. So you can expect me to be a little hard on you. It's my nature." He was already treating Sasuke that way to begin with. Sakura was training as a medic, and Ino was Ino.

They walked out of the gates and moved towards the Capitol into the shadows of the forest.

OooOOooOO

The City was bustling with life and stretched far into the distance. The four Shinobi stood on a rooftop overlooking the expanse of rooftops, residences, shops, and businesses. In the center of it all, was a large palace like building that housed the Fire Country Government. The city was called Kajishufu, and it was three miles in diameter, with a wall surrounding it and five large gates that allowed entrance.

Team Shadow was near the main Government building, the Daimyo's residence was a short distance off in the opposite direction. Below them was a long sprawling gardens. It was filled with cherry trees, but the sakura blossoms were in full bloom, filling the garden with the signature pink topped trees. It was a very well kept place, with wooden bridges crossing over small streams, and lots of patrolling guards to keep 'undesirables' out. It was a place for the rich and influential to relax, and while technically open to the public, the rules were well understood. You had better look like you belong, or you would be escorted out rather quickly.

The people walking about were wearing expensive clothes and kept their noses high. It was a place that could be mistaken for paradise.

The blond boy frowned and growled. "Damn."

Ino gave another sigh. "Them again?"

Their target was surrounded by ninja, five of them. Each wearing a forehead protector with a cloud etched into it.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Anyone else think it's weird we keep running into them?"

Sakura scowled as she looked through a pair of binoculars at the scene. "Yeah. We've not left Fire Country for a mission in a while. Everywhere we go we see those jerks, what the hell are they doing here?"

Naruto leaned over his knee as he put his foot on the edge of the roof. "Their jobs. They're for hire as much as we are."

Sasuke cracked his neck. "So what? What difference does it make?"

The blond boy looked down at the scene as the man strolled through the park over a bridge with little concern for his surroundings. "None. We've still got a job to do." They had seen a lot of Kumo lately. "Armed to the teeth as usual."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his sharingan looking over the situation. "How much you want to bet one of them is a chakra sensor?"

Sakura seemed unconcerned. "A lot of good it will do them."

"There's that girl," commented Ino. "At least I think so. Hokage didn't tell us what this 'girl' is supposed to look like."

Naruto took note of it. She was pretty, with long dark hair and a slender face and body. Her skin was milky white and her eyes were held low. She tensed up as the old man put his arm across her shoulders, but didn't resist his touch. He knew her, but didn't think he'd met her before. "Recognize her?" he asked them.

Sasuke smirked. "That's the Daimyo's daughter, Inamori."

"Ah," replied Naruto as he realized it. "Thought I'd seen her someplace before."

"What do we do then?" asked Sakura.

"Observe for now," their leader stood on the edge of the roof. "I'm gonna go ask around a bit. Meet me at the south gate this evening."

"Right," replied Sasuke with a small scowl. The gardens had a few foxes running about the grounds. He'd taken to noticing them because of Naruto.

"Boy, it's pretty up here," commented Ino.

"Yeah, it is kind of nice," said Sakura as she continued to peer through the binoculars. It was getting later, and their target was moving back towards his office with the girl at his side. He had his arm around her waist and squeezed her rear as he ushered her along. "Gah. That pervert." The girl didn't seem to react though and continued to walk at his side.

"It's kind of romantic up here," said Ino as she slid a bit closer to Sasuke.

"We're supposed to be observing the target," He said without looking at her.

"I dunno. I do kind of see your point, but I'm not so sure plotting to kill someone is very romantic, Ino," said Sakura with a small frown.

The girl scowled a bit at her. "Well, not that part. Just the view, and the gardens are something aren't they? I've never been here before, it's bigger than I expected. It's really pretty with the sakura in bloom."

"What the hell?" muttered Sasuke. "What is he doing?"

"Huh?" said Sakura as she looked away from the lenses. "What do you mean?"

"Naruto, he's...walking up to the guy in plain sight."

Sakura blinked and got wide eyed, scanning the area with her binoculars.

"Is he joking?" muttered Ino with a dumbstruck expression.

"No. He's...well, sort of."

OooOOooOO

"That guy's a jerk. He chases us off and calls us rodents when he sees us. Always going on about how the Grounds Keeper should get rid of us."

"Yeah! We're canidaes! We eat rodents. Inamori has been hanging around him lately. She doesn't smile anymore like she used too."

"She's always been nice to us. If she doesn't finish her lunch, she used to toss it over to us. That jerk won't let her anymore though."

"So, he stops there every day?" asked Naruto as he looked at the three foxes sitting in front of him. He was in his fox form and peered over his shoulder

"Yes, Highness, he stops and feeds the koi for a few minutes. Unless it's raining or something." said one of them.

"Yeah. We hang out around here and wait for people to stop and feed the koi. It gets them close enough that they're easy to catch without getting too wet," chimed the other. "He's pretty reliable. We can't let him see us though."

"Don't see him much in the winter, but he'll be out here every day until it starts getting cool in the fall," agreed one of the others.

"No, he won't," replied Naruto. "Sorry, but you'll have to start relying on someone else for that soon. Thanks, I'll see ya."

"Sure thing, Highness." The animals got a little more cheerful at the implication that was being made. They all had rather wicked grins on their faces.

"Hey, that means Inamori will be free again," said one of them cheerfully.

"Great! She's a lot less stingy. He barely throws enough out to get more than a few of the Koi to surface," agreed one of the others.

"Come on, the humans are leaving, we need to get to that trash can by the east gate before the Grounds Keeper does. It's always got a few good things to eat in it." The third one trotted off with his companions following him.

Naruto shifted forms again, his chest bulging out and long blond hair flowing down his back. He moved with a pleasant smile on his face as he stepped out onto the path wearing an expensive looking black silk kimono with pink flowers etched into the fabric. She lowered her head and put her arms up in front of her with her hands in her sleeves. She put a bit more into her chest than before and bounced a bit as she strolled along in a formal and feminine manner.

True to form and reputation, Ibatchi took notice. He looked firm and stoic as he stopped walking and took his hand off the girl at his side's waist and stepped towards the path Naruto was taking. He turned his back to her and looked out over the trees. She walked by beside him, under the watchful eye of the ninja surrounding him.

"The cherry blossoms are lovely this year," said the man as she moved past.

The blond stopped and smiled. "Yes. It's quite a sight to see."

The man looked over his shoulder at her, the ninja closed in around Inamori blocking her from view. The girl stood silently and kept her head low. "I've not seen you before. Are you new to the city?"

Naruto nodded and kept her cheerful face. "It's impressive. Quite something I must say. The Gardens are as impressive as I'd heard."

"Yes, natural beauty is a rare thing in todays world," said the man as he turned to look at her. He didn't smile and kept a cool gaze on her body more than her face.

Naruto giggled a bit. "Natural? There's nothing natural about this place. The grass is kept short, the trees are in neat rows, and each flower is carefully selected for it's presence and beauty to be on display. Without someone keeping watch over it, it would become wild and overgrown. I prefer that kind of beauty, though I can appreciate this as well.."

"I am Moranu Ibatchi. You speak like a well cultured flower yourself. Tell me, what brings you to Kajishufu?" He moved up to her side and bowed.

"I'm here taking in the culture," she replied with a sweet smile. "I know of you of course, you're on the National Counsel. Quite an influential man as I understand it."

"Ah, beauty as well as intelligence, a rare combination." The man puffed his chest out and tried to look dignified. He had a lot of practice, and it had the desired effect.

Naruto turned her eyes towards the ninja. "I was curious what sort of man would have so much protection. Kumo ninja? Impressive. I do hope the Daimyo and Raikage are well."

The largest of them, a well muscled man with a mask and dark glasses nodded. "Well enough. Who are you?"

She forced her cheeks flushed. "Oh, forgive me. How rude of me. I am the Ruler of Shadow Realm..." The blond considered for a moment. "Yakokyuu." She bowed to them and smirked as her head went down. It vanished before she brought it back up.

"Shadow Realm?" said the wide eyed older man.

The girl behind the ninja actually gasped. The guards didn't seem very alarmed, but all of them were looking at her. They were on guard, but didn't seem to think of her as a threat. Though, they were watching her closely.

"Yes," replied the blond. "I haven't seen the Capitol in many years. It's grown quite a bit, and I can barely recognize it." She was hamming it up and letting her chest keep his attention. It was no accident that her top was a little loose, and filled with cleavage to boot. "I must admit that I'm surprised to find Kumo ninja in Kajishufu guarding an official. Though, not that much. I attended the Chunin exams not long ago, and they were rather impressive."

The man nodded at that. "Yes. They have impressive strength to be sure. It's not as unusual as you think." Naruto noticed he didn't smile and was trying to puff himself up to look impressive. "The Daimyo keeps his eyes over our shoulders enough as it is. He tends to find out about things if we use Leaf Ninja."

The blond noticed his tone become cautious. She knew what he said was a total lie. It was highly unusual for such a highly ranked official to have contracted ninja from outside the country for protection. It meant one of two things, the Daimyo was making him nervous, or he he suspected something from Konoha. They both could technically amount to the same thing she supposed. He was also right about it, not that it mattered much.

"Well, the streets just aren't as safe as they used to be I suppose. I was accosted by horrible little street urchins on my way here. I'm glad they have the good sense to keep such filth away from this place. Filthy disgusting things."

The man nodded. "Yes, there is no need to fear such things here."

Inamori scowled at her from behind the man's guards.

Ibatchi actually got a hint of a smile on his face. "Have you eaten? I was just on my way, and it's been a while since I've had an interesting conversation over a meal."

Naruto knew damn well that he'd already had lunch. He was playing right into her hands though. It annoyed him a little, but he couldn't say that the Kitsune he lived with never taught him anything useful. Thanks to them, he knew just how to play his role.

OooOOooOO

A short time later she was laughing and saying almost nasty things about lower class people. They were sitting around a table with a simmering pot in the middle eating beef sukiyaki. Inamori was at the far end of the table with her head hung in silence. The business was pretty empty as it was after the lunch rush.

Naruto, or 'Yakokyuu' was making small talk, keeping his interest with light political banter that was in line with his leanings, and using her figure to keep his attention. She turned and eyed down the table. "You are the Daimyo's daughter, Inamori?"

She kept her eyes down and nodded once. "Yes." She was disgusted with the woman. She didn't mind that Ibatchi was ignoring her, but she did not like the blond one bit.

"Yes. I recall hearing about your engagement. Congratulations." She eyed the girl with a smirk and looked over at the older man.

He flustered a little. "Yes. We are to be married soon."

"..but not yet, no?" asked the blond as she whispered into his ear.

He actually laughed a little at that. "No. Indeed not."

The ninja were standing around the table and weren't eating. Keeping their eyes on the area surrounding the trio with their arms crossed. There was one Kunoichi, and four burly men. A long range weapons user, a taijutsu expert, a genjutsu user who was probably a chakra sensor as well, a Ninjutsu expert, and the leader was a burly tank of a man who simply looked powerful and imposing. A jounin level shinobi. They'd seen several groups of Kumo ninja in their past few missions, but it had always been groups of Chunin.

Yakokyuu looked at the ninja. "My, they are impressive. I enjoyed my last visit to Kumogakure. It's quite a beautiful place."

Ibatchi nodded. "Yes. I will not speak ill of our own shinobi, but they are more than up to the task."

"Yes, these are trying times. Sound is making trouble for near everyone I hear. I doubt they are a real threat, but they do make things inconvenient. I hope someone manages to catch the nerve to wipe Rice Country from existence."

"Why not you?" asked Inamori. "You are the ruler of Shadow Realm, are you not?"

The man glared at her and she quickly put her head down.

"Were it so easy," replied the blond. "You are young yet, and I doubt you understand the nature of the political landscape. I've little doubt I could destroy the Land or Rice easily, but then I would have to deal with the aftermath. It would be incredibly dull and vultures from every corner of the five countries would come to pick the bones clean. Far more trouble than it's worth."

"Yes. A wise statement," replied Ibatchi. "She is still a child, but she will learn. It is in her blood after all. Such naivety fades with age and experience."

Naruto nodded. "Yes. It does. Still, I had heard she was more spirited. A woman should not lose such a noble quality."

Inamori looked up at her with wide eyes and frowned as she hung her head again.

The blond ate another piece of beef, wishing it was Ramen. He felt bad for the girl. He wanted to say something more encouraging, but keeping Ibatchi interested was more important.

The meal was finished after that. The man stood up and smiled. "Well, why don't we continue this conversation in my office?"

OooOOooOO

Naruto smirked as he sat in the hallway of the government offices. He was covered in golden fur, and a kitsune was keeping Ibatchi busy in his office. There were muffled moans and groans coming from inside and he chuckled to himself as he padded his way down the carpeted hallway. His nine tails wagging behind him as he strolled casually through the rich palace looking offices. "What a waste of money," he muttered as he glanced around.

There was a sharp gasp and he froze in place. "Hmmm. Inamori then? Good, I was hoping to speak to you."

"What?" The girl was standing behind him frozen in shock. The animal in front of her was huge, and it was talking to her.

Naruto tried to put on a cheerful face, but ended up showing his fangs a bit. "Hello. Is your father around? I'd like to speak to him as well."

"What do you want? Ibatchi..."

The animal changed into a blond woman with a smirk on her face. A very familiar woman. Her eyes grew wide and she staggered back against the wall. "Oh, don't worry about him. He's busy with one of my servants right now. He thinks it's me."

"Who are you? What do you want?" demanded the girl as her eyes grew hard and her tone grew firm.

The woman chuckled. "I told you already. I'm the ruler of Shadow Realm. We're allies of Fire, and I'm very interested in finding out why there are Kumo ninja in the National Counsel Chambers. It's unheard of." She walked up and leaned towards the older girl. "I'm sure your father wouldn't be pleased to find out his only daughter is in the care of foreign ninja, especially from a place like Kumogakure."

"They aren't guarding me," snapped the girl.

Naruto cheered up a little more. "There's the spirit I heard about. I noticed that by the way, even more reason to find it strange. Protecting him, yet leaving his fiancee, the Daimyo's daughter no less, with no protection?"

"You were singing their praises before. What do you want from me?" Inamori had calmed a bit, but still didn't trust her. She kept her cool and seemed calm, despite that she was terrified of the strange creature she'd found herself speaking to.

Yakokyuu cocked her head in a sweet and friendly looking gesture. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar dear. I was buttering him up. What I want from you, is the reason he's so nervous that he's hired outside protection. Kumo has had quite a presence lately, and I find it odd. I'm curious as to why that is."

The girl balled up her fists. "My father isn't here. I can't get near him. I'm not just his betrothed, he's holding me hostage."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I see. If anything happens to him..."

"Those ninja with him have orders to kill me as well," she nodded. She took an uncomfortable step back and put her hand on her belly. It was a slight bulge, she wasn't very far along, but it was beyond the point that clothes would hide it. "He said that he knew my father has requested a ninja team to assassinate him."

The stranger scowled at that. "No one finds it strange that there are Kumo ninja here?"

The girl looked frustrated. "No one will say anything. Only his supporters are in this wing. The others do not know I am here. The shinobi keep me well hidden. They know of the engagement, and the only place I am seen with him is in the garden."

"Did he say how he found out about this supposed assassination?" asked the blond.

"What do you care?" snapped the girl. Tears were starting to fall down her cheeks. She was keeping her voice down. "I can't stay here long. If I'm gone for too long, his hired thugs will come for me."

The blond smiled at her. "Tell me, do you know where your father is now?"

She nodded. "He is at his home. I cannot run. One of them is a Chakra sensor, I would not make it out of the building before they dragged me back."

Yakukyuu chuckled at that. "Well, I think he can owe me a favor then," replied the blond as her form shifted.

Inamori gasped as she found herself looking at her own mirror image. "No! You fool! It won't work, a Bunshin will never..."

Naruto shook her head. "I'm a Kitsune. They won't know the difference, it's not a bunshin."

The girl gasped. "What? They'll know it's not my chakra!"

The blond woman shook her head. "You're pregnant. That screws with chakra sensing abilities like you wouldn't believe. Now, I want you to leave and head straight for your father. I'll take care of things here, don't worry." She started walking back and gave her a gentle shove.

OooOOooOO

"Where the hell is he?" growled Ino as she balled up her fist and looked severely annoyed.

"Who the hell knows? It's not like him to be late though," replied Sakura with a small shrug.

"You don't sound worried," commented Sasuke as he leaned against the wall next to the gate where they were supposed to meet. There was a lot of traffic going in and out, and Konohagakure ninja standing about was not an unusual sight.

The pink haired girl arched her eyebrow. "Neither do you."

Ino glared around. "He's probably already here laughing at us. That jerk."

Sasuke shook his head. "Nah. We're on a mission. He's all business. Something has come up."

"What the hell was he thinking?" snapped Sakura in irritation.

The blond girl hung her head. "Man, I knew he was a pervert, but I had no idea it was that bad. I mean, he went out on a date with the guy!"

"...and back to his office," muttered Sakura as she looked a bit ill and put her hand on her stomach.

Sasuke didn't say anything. "No way, he wouldn't," he thought to himself. "Would he?"

Ino glanced over at him. "I doubt it's that bad. I mean, we are here to kill him. I don't think he would, even if he was that much of a pervert."

Sakura looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. We can't hang around here forever without looking suspicious."

Ino nodded. "You're right. I don't want to have to explain what we're doing here."

Sasuke scowled. They couldn't get caught, even though it was ordered by the Daimyo. It was still an assassination of a Fire Country official. He looked up at the sky and stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Come on."

Ino looked at him. "Huh? Where are we going?"

The boy looked over his shoulder at her. "To get ready for tomorrow. If he's not here, we've got to go ahead without him."

The pink haired girl nodded. "He's right."

"Maybe he'll get in trouble?" said Ino. It didn't sound like something she thought of as unpleasant. "It would serve the jerk right."

"No. This is our mission, and it's up to him whether or not he helps us, remember" Her teammate sounded a bit annoyed.

"That is so unfair," grumbled the blond.

Sasuke glanced at them both. "It doesn't matter. We've got our orders."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was not in a happy place. Inamori had been allowed out of her cage to use the restroom when he'd run into her. He was currently in a lavish bedroom with the door locked. One of the Kumo ninja had questioned why she had stopped for so long in the hall. She was right about him being a chakra sensor.

He'd managed to sneak her out despite the ninja's abilities by claiming she'd bumped into one of the servants who kept the halls clean on the way back. The sensor was only looking for a single signature and his heading back to the room had been enough to keep him from getting too curious.

The now dark haired girl had managed to use Inamori's pregnancy to claim illness had stalled her. She mentioned feeling a bit queasy still and they shoved her into the room and locked the door.

He ended up poking about the room, going through drawers, and being generally nosy. He ended up in there for about an hour.

The sky had grown dark outside when the door opened. The largest ninja walked in and crossed his arms. "Come, Ibatchi wishes to speak with you."

The kitsune he'd used to keep him occupied was long since gone. The real him was sitting in the darkest corner of the room looking on as his Kage Bunshin followed the man out of the room and into the hall. No one knew he was there, his chakra was hidden and he narrowed his eyes as he looked out the window. "Great. I missed the meeting. Those idiots better take care of this." He briefly considered leaving the room and having a look about, but decided against it. He knew where the Kumo ninja were, and it was easy to keep an eye on them by remaining where he was.

OooOOooOO

'Inamori' had her head down as she was led into the room. She kept her quiet and reserved mood and kept watch of the others around her by watching their feet.

"Ah. Inamori, how good to see you. How are you feeling?" said the man in an almost pleasant tone.

"I am ill," she replied.

"Now, no need to be so rude. I shall be your husband soon, and once that happens, your father will be able to do little to stop me." The man had a cruel grin on his face.

"No. I am pregnant, it has made me ill," she replied without looking up at him.

The man arched his eyebrow. "Speaking so informally? Always before you were 'with child'. Now, Inamori, come here."

He moved up towards the man with a tentative caution. "What do you want from me?"

Ibatchi got a cold smirk on his face. "I think you know what I want. Why do you always question it so?"

"Were you not satisfied enough by that woman?" he asked in a slightly tense voice. "Oh, shit," said his mind.

"Satisfied? My dear, I am never satisfied. Are you jealous?" Naruto grunted as he found himself shoved into the desk. The man started pulling at Inamori's top, opening it up and reaching into it with his hands. "So lovely. The child has made you grow so."

The young dark haired girl tried to push his hands away. "I told you, I am ill. I do not wish..."

The man's face grew dark and angry. His hand snapped up around her throat. The young girl gasped and choked. "I do not care what you wish. You will satisfy me as my wife, and perform your womanly duties." He shoved her back roughly by the neck and let her go.

She rubbed her hand across where he'd grabbed her and struggled to stay on her feet against the side of the desk. "I was about to say, I do not wish to dirty your office if I become ill. I am not well this evening."

He scowled at her. "I'm sure." He turned her around and shoved her shoulders onto the desk. "If you mess up my desk you'll clean it up. If you turn to face me, I'll punish you. I don't want to get any of your puke on my clothes. Now shut up and do as you're told."

Naruto glared at the window, the curtains were open and he could see the city. His fist clenched the edge of the desk as he felt him pulling at the girl's skirt. There was a long needle like spear for notes in front of him. Within easy reach. He wanted very badly to kill him. He felt the man lifting his leg and squeezed his eyes shut. "Damn it," screamed his mind.

He had his orders, he couldn't kill him in his office, it was expressly forbidden. He couldn't reveal himself and endanger the mission. He could do nothing, but stay there and take it like a ninja.

OooOOooOO

An hour later Naruto slipped back into the shadows of the room as the door opened again. A lone slender figure was shoved back inside. She was gasping for breath and wide eyed. Her clothes were hanging off her loosely as if shoddily put back on. She wiped at her mouth and ran her tongue down the length of her arm as if to get something off of it.

The original looked on in confusion. "What the?"

His Kage Bunshin turned towards him with a rage in her eyes and punched him dead in the face. "Fix yourself up, I'm leaving now."

He almost didn't have time to alter his appearance and shift his chakra on as it vanished in a puff of smoke. His mind went horribly numb as the now dark haired girl slumped down to her knees and gasped for breath. Sweat started pouring down his face as he almost tumbled onto his face, but stopped himself with his extended arm. "What? No...no way!" He was absolutely horrified. "That...that son of a..." Before the words could leave his mouth he staggered over to the waste basket and threw up violently into it. It took a few times to get everything up.

When it was over he was pale and sweating while sprawled over the top of the wastebasket. The stench of his own vomit filled his senses, but he didn't care. He couldn't move, couldn't think, and could barely breathe.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he calmed himself down, controlling his breath. He rolled off the top of the trash can and leaned against the wall next to it, putting his hand up against his forehead. "Take it like a ninja."

He closed his eyes and felt his limbs relax. He forced his limbs to go limp and looked up at the ceiling. It was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

He staggered to his feet and moved over to sit on the edge of the bed. His long dark hair hanging around his face. "How the hell long has this been going on?" He'd read about the engagement months ago. The boy closed his eyes as rage boiled within his gut. However bad he'd just had it, that girl had been suffering like that for months.

He flopped down on the mattress, knowing full well he wasn't getting any sleep that night. He was too upset, too angry, and he had to be patient. He turned his head and glanced out the window. "You guys had better not screw this up." That man was going to die, one way or the other. It was difficult to keep his temper under control and suppress his chakra, but he barely managed to do it.

OooOOooOO

Naruto scowled as he glared at the ground. He kept his eyes down, not wanting to look anyone in the face. He felt ashamed, horrible, disgusted, weak. It was early afternoon, and he was just looking at the pavement in the gardens, moving through the flowers and green grass. So much color surrounded him, but everything seemed so gray.

It had happened twice more. Once after breakfast, and again before they left for lunch. Each time he'd been violated he'd been tossed back into that room again. The Kumo ninja didn't care, it was just a job to them. He could do nothing but wait.

They approached the bridge where the koi swam about the artificial stream that ran through the gardens. He didn't care to look, cared nothing about his surroundings, and just glared down at the ground. His fist balled up hidden by the long sleeves of the Kimono he'd been given to wear for the outing. He presented it as a gift, as if she was his daughter. He actually seemed as if he thought she would be excited and pleased to receive it.

The ground under 'her' feet became wood as they strolled out onto the bridge. Ibatchi pulled a handful of bread crumbs from a bag in his pocket as he neared the center of the bridge.

Naruto's eyes grew dark and a cold smile formed on his face. He stopped and moved over to the railing, looking down into the water near the edge of the bridge.

Ibachi stepped onto the very center of the bridge. He was rigid and practiced in his movements. Always walking to the middle before turning to the railing and walking over to it to feed the koi. He never even got the chance to turn.

There was a metallic sliding sound as the bridge gave a slight vibration. Naruto caught a glimpse of the edge of a blade running across the width of the bridge from underneath from the corner of his eye.

Ibatchi staggered and gasped as the section of bridge he was standing on slammed downward into a steep ramp. He screamed as he half slid and half fell. The screams became more high pitched for a moment and then started to fade into a sickly sounding gurgle.

Naruto walked over and glared down at the bottom of the ramp. Ibatchi was impaled on no less than thirteen sharpened bamboo spears that were jutting from the water under the bridge. The shocked Kumo ninja could only look on with wide eyes at the resulting mess as the man died before them.

Inamori just glared down at him with a malevolent and dark looking grin as he looked up at her and reached for her with his hand. He looked half horrified and half confused at the expression on her face.

The dark haired girl spoke up without taking her eyes off her rapists body. "Well, he's dead. Aren't you supposed to kill me now?"

The Jounin shinobi pulled out a kunai knife and shoved it into her back. The clothes fell to the ground in a heap as the Kage Bunshin vanished. "What?"

The entire bridge became consumed in a huge explosion. Pieces of stone and splinters of wood rained down all across the garden. A few patrons were knocked about and given minor cuts and bruises by the fallout of the destroyed bridge. The entire underside had been plastered with explosive notes like wallpaper.

When it was over people were lying about on the ground and peering from around nearby cover in shock. There were a few screams of terror and assorted curses muttered.

Naruto was standing on the branch of a tree nearby looking on at the carnage. Two of the Kumo ninja had managed to escape. The Jounin, and the Kunoichi, the others were mixed in with pieces of the bridge. He had a serious looking scowl on his face and closed his eyes. Without a word, he turned away and left the scene.

OooOOooOO

In the middle of a rooftop near the north gate, Team Shadow stood around looking a bit worn, but overall pleased. The mission was successful, and they were past the danger of getting caught. Not that there was much to begin with. The Daimyo had made sure there were no patrols in the area for that part of town that day.

Naruto walked up to the trio looking worn out and tired. He glanced at Sasuke and gave a weak smile. "Hey. Good job, but a little overkill on the explosive notes. How many of those damn things did you bring anyway? Not very stealthy."

The raven haired boy crossed his arms and turned his head away. "They didn't see us did they?"

Ino giggled. "We all pooled our explosive notes together. Too bad two of them got away."

Sakura scowled at him. "Where the hell were you anyway?"

The Jounin turned his eyes towards her. He didn't look upset with her, but seemed very serious. "I was trying to figure out where the hell all these Kumo ninja we keep running into are coming from. I knew you three could handle that on your own."

That caught her off guard. "Oh. Did...did you find anything out?"

He looked at the ground and nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'm gonna have a talk with the Hokage about it later."

Ino narrowed her eyes a little. "Are...you all right?"

He tried to look cheerful and failed. "I'm fine. Good job by the way."

Sasuke turned away and put his hands into his pockets. "It's not like you to pass on a secondary objective. You replaced that girl?"

The boy shrugged. "I needed to get close to him to do some spying. It was more important than a secondary objective." He sat down on a chimney pipe. "Call it taking the time to 'see underneath the underneath'."

Sakura frowned at him. "You're acting weirder than normal. Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine." He was always a bit standoffish and aloof, but he wasn't looking them in the eyes and seemed to shy away from them a little.

Ino pressed a little more. "Are you sure? You look a bit pale, and she's right, you're acting weird."

"I'm fine," he snapped.

The two girls jumped a bit and Sasuke frowned at him.

Naruto stood up and turned away. "Sorry. I...saw some things I wish I hadn't." He turned his head to look over his shoulder. "You guys go ahead and start back towards the village. I'll catch up. There's something I need to do before I leave."

Sakura frowned. "You're supposed to report to the Hokage. We can't do it for you, remember?"

The Jounin nodded. "I know. I'll catch up to you before you get there. Don't worry." He jumped off across the rooftops away from them and vanished a short distance away.

"What's with him all of a sudden?" muttered Sakura.

"Yeah. I've never seen him like that. I hope he's all right." Ino looked a little worried.

Sasuke started walking away. "He'll be fine. Come on. There's no point in hanging around here, unless you want to go looking for him?"

Both girls knew that would be pointless. Sakura took a bit longer to pull her eyes away from where he'd gone. "I hope he snaps out of it. I'm a bit worried now."

Ino nodded. "Yeah. Whatever it was must have been pretty bad."

OooOOooOO

Inamori was sobbing into her pillow. Her pillow, she was safe, at home. Her father had been moved to tears at her return, and embraced her. He could not believe her tale. It was early afternoon the day after her escape thanks to the strange creature she'd met in the halls of the Counsel Building. She could barely believe it herself, it was like something out of an ancient legend. It didn't feel that way to her though, the memories were still fresh and painful, the child still within her.

It was a mixture of sorrow and relief that she could have never comprehended before that moment when she finally found herself safe at home.

"That man...is dead."

The girl gasped as her eyes went wide. She sat up and pulled her pillow in front of herself. "What? You?"

"I didn't have anything to do with it. Turns out he was right, your father did have a contract on him." The golden nine tailed fox was sitting on the balcony of her room. It was looking at her and seemed very serene and peaceful. It padded towards her and shifted forms into the blond woman she'd met the day before. She had a sadness in her features that was not there before.

The woman sat down next to her and put her arm across her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I did not give you proper credit for your strength before."

The girl sniffled and relaxed, a smile forming despite her tears. "I'm so grateful for what you did for me. Any favor you wish, anything I can grant, is yours."

The woman didn't look at her and had a haunted look in her eyes. "The kitsune in the Garden told me you were kind to them. Please, continue to be kind."

Inamori hugged her pillow and nodded. "Yes. Of course. My father will be glad to express his gratitude."

The blond girl had a wistful smile on her face. "We've met before. I will see him again, and let's just say he owes me a favor. Tell him to remember what the Fox King asked of him in Konohagakure."

The girl started to get up. "I'll get him. I'm..."

The blond woman shook her head. "I am in no mood to speak with a man. I came here to see you."

The daimyo's daughter looked confused. "Huh? Me?"

The woman looked at her and smiled. "I took your place and remained behind so that he would not know that you had escaped until his assassination was completed." She put her arm around the girl and leaned her head against her shoulder. "I know how you suffered in that man's hands. I know what he did to you."

The girl gasped and looked at her with wide eyes. "What?"

The blond gave her a smile. "You're much stronger than I thought. Never forget that strength, and don't lose that spirit I saw when I talked to you before we switched."

The dark haired girl looked at her and started bawling grabbing her around her neck and sobbing into her shoulder.

After Inamori calmed down a bit, Yakokyuu stood up and caressed her cheek in her hand. "I have to go. Goodbye, and don't forget."

The girl nodded and settled down into her mattress. Within a few moments, she was fast asleep.

OooOOooOO

Naruto felt incredibly sappy, yet better somehow as well. He was not over what had happened to him. It still turned his stomach and shortened his temper. Still, he was now able to push past it, and seemed to be functioning more normally. He was a ninja, and he'd done his duty. He had made a sacrifice in order for the mission to succeed. The price was less than his life, but still made him feel a bit hollow somehow. As if he'd left a piece of himself back in that building that he could never get back. Even if it was just for that one day, it did make him feel better that it was him rather than her. He'd not done it in vain, and while it still weighed down on him, seeing her safe at home had lifted a great deal from his shoulders.

He met up with his team and seemed a little more zoned out than normal, but otherwise fine.

"Hey. Glad to see you're back to normal at least," commented Sakura.

"Yeah. What happened anyway?" asked Ino. "You had us all weirded out, even Sasuke a little."

The boy glanced at her. "Sorry. I'm not getting into that. I'm fine, just got a bit weirded out myself I guess. That guy was nastier than you think." It did bother him a little, but he'd actually enjoyed seeing him die.

Sasuke paused as he looked ahead. "Well, it looks like we're back."

Naruto scowled at him. "What the hell were you thinking with all those explosive notes anyway? We were supposed to let her watch, not blow her into tiny bits. You're lucky she wasn't on the bridge."

The Uchiha boy stopped. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned. "I figured out what happened to you." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I knew she wasn't going to show up."

Naruto froze and looked at him. The window to the office had been open. "You..."

Sasuke frowned at him. "Yeah. I did. I figured out you replaced her. I saw her slip out of the building."

Ino was annoyed at being left out of the loop. "What are you talking about?"

The raven haired boy didn't look back at her. "Mind your own business. Naruto is a better spy than I thought, that's all."

The blond kunoichi calmed a bit, but still muttered under her breath. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Their leader nodded. Sasuke wasn't being smug or teasing him. The Special Jounin started towards the village. "Just forget about it. We're home, and we can put this mission to rest and be done with it."

Naruto turned his eyes away and nodded. "Yeah." He wasn't sure just how much Sasuke had seen, but he caught the hint that he knew about what had happened in the office that night.

Sakura gave a sigh. "We're home." She stretched her arms and walked through the gates of Konohagakure.

Their leader looked around. It felt good to be back again.

OooOOooOO

Naruto stood in the Hokage's office in a relaxed pose. "Everything went well, had to scrap the secondary objective. Didn't work out."

She nodded. "I know. I've heard a rather strange story from the Daimyo. I also know what he was doing to her."

The boy looked uncomfortable. "Yeah."

"You did well. You'd be surprised how many of us have made that kind of sacrifice in the past," she said as she eyed him. "Yes. I know what likely happened while you were covering for her while she escaped. I applaud your initiative, and your understanding of what was most important." She leaned forward. "No, she didn't tell on you. I know enough about what was happening to figure it out on my own."

"Well, aside from blowing up half the gardens, it went pretty smoothly." He stiffened up a little. "Sasuke handled it very well."

She nodded. "Yes. He did."

"We have a leak," said Naruto.

Tsunade nodded. "I know."

"Have there been others?" asked the boy. "We keep running into Kumogakure ninja on our missions. They seem to know we're coming. It hasn't been a problem, but..."

Tsunade shook her head. "No, it's just your team."

The blond boy looked confused. "Huh?"

The woman smiled at him. "Well, I'm the leak."

Naruto was wide eyed. "What?"

"Actually, technically, it would be me."

The boy whirled around and found himself staring at a familiar set of white eyes. Hiashi was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face.

"Kumogakure has been sniffing around you. They're trying to capture or kill you and your team," replied Tsunade. "In fact, we have a spy in our midst. We've been feeding him information, some of it had to be reliable. Your team handled it as expected."

The boy's face fell a little. "Okay. So we've made them look bad. Now what?"

Hiashi walked up next to him. "I came to the Hokage when I discovered Kumo's ambassador was working as a spy. It's no real surprise, that's usually how it works anyway. Especially regarding Kumogakure." The man glanced down at him. "We're aware of him, and he's under control. So, we'll likely just leave him be aside from keeping a close eye on him in the future."

Tsunade looked up at him. "I've also noticed a few of your little 'side projects'. Like helping Tea hunt down those pirate bases. You provided information that pinpointed their location and they were all but wiped out."

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah. So? They were screwing with our shipping routes too. It's not like I attacked them for them or gave up Konohagakure secrets. It worked out for everyone."

The woman smiled and leaned forward a little more. "I also know you're bankrolling that little coupe that we've been contracted to help out with in Whirlpool." She moved back again. "I approved that by the way. I'll be sending a couple of teams out in a week or so to handle it. Still, I think you had your own reasons for that."

Naruto shrank back a little more. "She's family. I only gave her a loan and offered some advice."

Hiashi shook his head. "You miss the point. We are aware that you hold Shadow Realm's interests above Konoha's. Like how you used your other face to leverage a favor out of Fire Country's Daimyo for Shadow Realm. You could have just as easily done it on behalf of Konoha, but you did not."

He slumped his shoulders. "Well, I am King after all. I can't just ignore them."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. That's exactly why I'm taking you off Team Shadow."

The boy looked at her with wide eyes. "Huh?"

"Sasuke will lead it, it's time to pull you back," said the Hokage. She didn't seem angry or upset.

Naruto seemed to consider that. "What about Sound?"

"What about them?" asked Tsunade.

"I'm directly involved." replied the boy in an equally calm tone.

The Hokage nodded. "Konoha has handled it's affairs in the past. This will be no different."

Naruto was frustrated, but didn't show it. "I see. Leaf and Shadow are allies in this. I don't want to get cut out of it."

The woman smirked at him in a calculating way. "I know. I've already been taking more risks with you than I should. I considered it necessary for your growth as a Shinobi, and you've proven yourself more than capable. You should have expected this, you're too important to risk. I can't put you in harms way so carelessly. I believe that you've learned from your experience, but I cannot risk you further. If something were to happen to you, our relationship with Shadow would suffer. You know that."

That caught the blond boy off guard. "I think I get it." Tsunade didn't trust him, he didn't think she thought he'd stab her in the back, but his outside deals for Shadow had come back to bite him. Not that he regretted any of them. He was also an important dignitary, and he doubted the Kitsune would care enough to keep supporting Konohagakure and Fire Country without him.

The woman sat back in her chair. "That's not the only reason. I'm also aware that you're trying to provoke a war with Sound. Consider this my way of slowing your efforts. We'll deal with them, but it's too soon, and that can't be rushed. I understand your position, but I've got my own people to look after as well. You won't be completely cut out. I'm just using you as an independent operative for a time, aside from your other duties."

"You're fortunate. In the same position, another ninja would have been expelled. Double dealing isn't something we can ignore." Hiashi looked down at the young Jounin. "I suppose you wouldn't be doing it if you weren't the ruler of your own people now. Still, a Leaf ninja must be loyal to Konohagakure and Fire Country above all else. You are not in a position where that is possible."

"Well, she did encourage it a bit," replied Naruto as he jerked his thumb at Tsunade.

The Hokage smirked at that. "I honestly didn't expect you to take it to heart quite so much. I can't really blame you. We don't want to make an enemy of Shadow, but I doubt you'll take this that way."

He nodded. "I have no intention of fighting Leaf. I'd leave first."

"Well, you're still wearing our symbol. You're one of my Jounin as far as I'm concerned still, and this is the start of your next assignment," replied Tsunade. She slid a folder across her desk and tapped it with her finger.

That confused him even more. He picked it up and opened it, looking carefully at the contents. "Oh...you have got to be kidding."

"I'm afraid not," said Tsunade.

Naruto looked up at Hiashi. "You're...okay with this? I mean..."

The man gave a small sigh and nodded. "I have learned from past mistakes. I am no fool. I have realized that it is time to accept what I cannot change. The Hyuuga must adapt, and I must work for the best interests of my clan. It is sooner than I expected, but I requested it personally. I've no doubt she can handle it. I've seen to it personally." He gave a somewhat forced smile. "I think you should be able to figure out my reasoning considering our past dealings."

"Aw man," grumbled Naruto as he hung his head. "Are you sure?" He looked at Tsunade. "I mean, I like Sasuke, he's got the potential to be a great ninja, but..."

"But?" asked Tsunade.

"I dunno. I mean, you put him in charge, and I'd worry he'll go charging off after Itachi the first chance he gets. I mean, I seriously think he needs supervision for now. It's not that I don't trust him, well, it is actually. I know what to expect from him. Once Itachi is taken care of, he'll be a lot more trustworthy I think. Until he is, he's going to be an obsessive butthole about it." Naruto looked completely serious.

The Hokage chuckled at that. "You're the one who's not trustworthy. You're working for your own ends. I understand, really. You've got outside responsibilities. You're not losing any rank, but you've got your fingers in too many pies for the sort of work Team Shadow is doing."

He looked annoyed at that. "Yeah. Well, I've not failed a mission yet either."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. I suspect that if I leave you to your own devices, you'll keep doing what you did this time. Leave the team to deal with the mission, while you go off to work your own angle. It helped Fire Country this time, but I suspect you'll be trying to pull in something that works for Shadow Realm regularly as well." She leaned forward and smirked. "I don't trust you to pick Konohagakure if there's a conflict of interests."

Naruto scowled at that. She totally had him pegged. "Damnit." He took the folder and turned away.

"Good luck with your new assignment!" said Tsunade cheerfully.

Hiashi watched him go. "Neji as well."

"Really now? That's interesting," said Tsunade. "I knew about his little friend, but your nephew as well?"

The man nodded. "I'm certain. He is driven by his rivalry with Uzumaki. I suspect he will challenge him soon."

OooOOooOO

Neji was covered in sweat and dirt. He was flowing through a kata smoothly and quickly. Moving his arms and spinning around in quick knife handed blows and jabs with his fingers.

Tenten watched on a nearby tree stump in fascination. "Is it harder that way?"

"Huh?" asked the boy as he ended his kata and turned his head towards her. His eyes were covered by a strip of cloth.

Rock Lee smiled and put his thumb up, allowing his teeth to sparkle as he smiled. "Yes. I am pleased to see my teammate broadening horizons in the pursuit of self improvement."

"Whatever," grumbled the Hyuuga boy as he worked on tightening the wrappings on his hands.

"Well, you can see anyway right? I mean, is it something to train the Bayakugan or something?" asked the girl as she hopped off the tree stump and smiled at him. She waved her hand in front of his face.

"No. I am blind," he replied as he grabbed her hand and shoved it down. "Stop that."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Then how did you know I was doing that?"

"Air pressure, sound, smell..." replied the boy as he pulled the blindfold off his eyes.

Tenten scowled at him. "Smell? I do not stink!"

"I'm learning to recognize things most people ignore because they rely on their eyes," he replied simply as he ignored her irritation. "You don't have to stink to have a scent."

Rock Lee furrowed his mighty eyebrows. "I see. Perhaps I could benefit from such training as well?"

Neji just shrugged. "Maybe."

"Smell? What are you thinking of joining the Inuzuka clan or something?" Tenten was confused. "What's wrong with using your eyes anyway?"

The boy glanced at her. "Nothing, except against an opponent who can fool them."

Lee nodded. "I see the wisdom in this. I too shall partake in such training. It...sends shivers down my spine to think I have been exposed to such a difficult and insurmountable task! I shall train my hardest and through hard work and the spirit of youth I shall overcome this obstacle and forge a new path!"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Fine. Boys are so weird."

Neji looked at the blindfold in his hand and gripped it in his fist. "I'm finished for today. See you later."

Lee was overcome with chargin. "Yes, and yet I have only begun!" He raised his fist into the air and rushed off to find himself a blindfold of his own. He was very excited just thinking about the endless hours of training and hardship it would supply.

OooOOooOO

Konohamaru had his feet up on top of a desk and a grin on his face. "Man. This is great."

"What's so great about it?" scowled the girl sitting beside him. She was about a year older and glared at the other two in the room with her. "I'm stuck with you, and that kid over there." She had shoulder length brown hair and a grumpy look about her. "The biggest slacker at the academy, and some kid." She was watching the door to the room intently and waiting. She had little in the way of a figure, and was very slim.

A young quiet girl was sitting a few rows down from them with her nose in a book. She hadn't said anything, and hadn't bothered to look at either one of them.

"What? Don't be like that Midori. You've got no idea how lucky you are!" said Konohamaru as he lifted his nose up. "Any minute now we're going to..."

"Going to what?"

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" screamed the brunette girl as she jumped from her seat.

The girl at the front of the class gave a small jolt as well. She almost turned to look back at them, but kept her nose in her book.

Konohamaru looked up and found Naruto sitting on top of the desk behind him. "Hey. Bro. What's up?" He grinned at him and put his arms behind his head. "Come by to visit or something?"

"What the hell!?" cried the irritable girl as she grabbed her chest and started panting.

The blond ninja in a cloth face mask glanced over at her. "Excitable huh?"

The black haired boy nodded. "Yeah. Kind of. She's always so stressed out, and kind of a bitch."

The girl was the oldest in the room at about thirteen. "When? How? What?" she muttered as she looked about. There were no windows, and one door. She rushed over and opened the door. "There's no..." A cloud of dust formed around her head as the dirty chalkboard eraser landed on her skull. She blinked and got bloodshot eyes as she fumed. "How the hell did you get in here?" She whirled around and pointed at the blond boy. He didn't look more than two years older than her.

Naruto seemed pleased. "I'm very sneaky."

"What brings you, Bro? I can't really hang out today. We're waitin on..."

"What the hell are you doing here?" snapped the irritable girl. "You're not a student, so you shouldn't be here! It's against the rules! You're going to be in big trouble if you're still here when our sensei shows up!"

Naruto scratched his cheek with his finger. "Iruka went home for the day. There's no chance of that." He looked at Konohamaru. "Is she always like this?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much. I haven't known her that long though. I got moved up a couple of classes a few months ago."

Naruto nodded. "Oh. Big on rules and such?"

"Yeah. She's got a big mouth too." Konohamaru seemed very relaxed and at ease. "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow, Bro? I'll tell you about how it went without that noisy chick around."

"Noisy chick!? You brat!" snarled the girl as she jabbed her finger at him. She jumped at his desk and the boy hopped out of the way bouncing over several rows and out of reach.

The girl glared at him and jabbed her finger. "Just you wait! One of these days I'm going to catch you, and then you'll regret it!"

The smallest girl in the room ignored everything in favor of reading her text book. She had long dark hair, and that was all either of the other two kids knew of her.

Naruto seemed to cheer up. "Well, we should get going."

"What do you mean? We're supposed to wait here!" snapped the loud girl as she glared at him. "We were told to wait right here until Sensei shows up."

"Yeah, Bro. We can't leave." Konohamaru shrugged. "Kind of a pain I guess. I haven't seen you in a while and all."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "It's not 'Bro' anymore. It's Sensei. I'm here to pick you three brats up."

The older girl's face dropped. "Huh?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, your new Jounin Instructor."

The young girl at the front of the room looked just as surprised as the other two. Her head snapped up revealing two white eyes.

"Hey, cool Bro sensei," Konohamaru looked pleased. "I thought you were an ANBU or something though?"

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah. I sorta got transfered to instructor for a bit."

Midori's jaw dropped. "That guy is an ANBU? No way! He can't be much older than me!" She pointed her finger at him. "This isn't funny!"

Konohamaru chuckled. "You'd better not make Bro sensei mad. He's pretty sadistic."

The young girl stood up and bowed. "It's nice to meet you, sensei."

Naruto smiled at her. "No need to be quite so formal."

The angry excitable girl balled up her fists. "Look, you overachieving dipshit! This isn't funny. You can't just drag your friends in here to prank us like this! It's against the rules!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "He's not kidding. Now come on. You've all got a test to take."

"Test?" said the three of them in unison.

Naruto nodded. "That's right. Out of the thirty six applicants, only nine are chosen as Genin. It's an incredibly difficult exam with a sixty six percent failure rate." He turned towards the door. "Daylights burning, time to go. Meet me on the balcony outside and we'll discuss the particulars."

OooOOooOO

Naruto smiled. "Well, tell me a little about yourselves, likes, dislikes, dreams, the usual crap." His smile was a bit forced, as he was not really into his new duty. Konohamaru he was fine with, the Hyuuga girl was quiet and seemed easy going. The loud brat was not amusing him. After finally getting Ino to shut the hell up he had to start from scratch. They also weren't training as ANBU, so he had a lot more limitations on what he could do to force her to shut the hell up.

"I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru! I like training and stuff, and I'm gonna be Hokage!" The boy seemed quite pleased with himself and puffed out his chest.

The irritable girl looked a bit miffed and crossed her arms. "Azawa Midori, and I don't like this one bit. What kind of Genin team is this anyway? What is she, nine?" She jerked her thumb towards the boy. "And this idiot is a lazy overachieving dork!"

Naruto nodded reflexively. She appeared to have the worst parts of Sakura and Ino's personalities all in one horrible flat chested brat.

The youngest girl stood up. "I am Hyuuga Hanabi." She sat back down.

Naruto nodded. "Good, good. That's a start. Well, we'll meet here tomorrow at nine o'clock in the morning. It's going to be pretty difficult, and you might get sick, so don't eat anything before." He turned and walked away waving over his shoulder at them. "See you then."

Midori scowled at that. "That jerk! He made us tell us all that stuff about ourselves, but then didn't tell us anything about him!"

Konohamaru shrugged at her. "Bro sensei is just like that. You get used to it."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke sat and smirked as he looked at the pair working in front of him. Kidomaru and Tayuya were digging up potatoes in a field. They were both rather relaxed and went about their work enjoying the fresh air. Neither one had been outside much in the past month.

"What the hell are you staring at?" growled Tayuya as she glanced over at him. The boy in the tiger mask was leaning against a nearby fence post. There were several other ANBU around the field keeping an eye on them.

The Konoha ninja shrugged. "It's my job today. You're lucky I volunteered for it, or you'd be sitting in that room staring at the wall still." The other guards were Chunin, and at least one Jounin had to be present. "Get used to it, you foul mouthed brat."

"Fuck you!" she snapped.

"Calm down and shut up would you? I'm sick of that cell." Kidomaru wiped his forehead.

"I feel like a damn Genin," she grumbled irritably.

"Yeah. Me too, but that's a lot better than feeling like a prisoner. I'll have enough of that dungeon crawling later." He scowled at her a little, but it wasn't very harsh.

"You should be used to it, you basement dwelling dork," she grumbled. "Quit looking at my ass you damn fucking pervert!" she shot back at Sasuke. "I hate this place."

Kidomaru nodded. "Yeah. Well they can't hold us forever."

The redhead narrowed her eyes at him. "What? Do you think they're just going to let us go? When they're finished with us, we'll be executed dumbass." She hung her head. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm sick of this fucking humiliation."

Her fellow prisoner looked about the field. "Well, unless you can use your powers, there's nothing we can do but enjoy the fact they let us out for a bit. Mine are sealed, or I'd have already tried."

Sasuke was supposed to tell them to shut up, but reading their lips was enough to keep him occupied. "Hey. You two."

They both looked at him.

"I don't mind you talking, but change the subject. You'll make me nervous, and I'll have to throw you back in your cells if you do."

The pair looked annoyed with him, but went quiet and started working again.

OooOOooOO

A short time later, they were back in their cells once again. The field had been finished, and while a little tiring, they both found it relaxing. They were right next to each other, in holding cells a floor above the interrogation area. The wall between them was thick concrete, but instead of a sealed up door, there were bars, which meant they could speak and keep each other company.

Not that they enjoyed that much. "Why did the bitch have to survive with me?" Kidomaru glared over at her. He'd never enjoyed talking with Tayuya much. Though, he didn't dislike her near as much as he used too. She had stood by him and saved his life. He owed her, and didn't complain or taunt her as much as he used to.

She was sitting against the wall muttering curses just loud enough for him to hear her. Their guard had annoyed her a great deal by watching them so closely. Not that she had tried to escape.

As if summoned, a familiar boy walked up to the bars. He had a smirk on his face and opened her cell door. "Hey. Get up."

She scowled and glared at him. Sasuke wasn't wearing his mask. Without a word, she stood up and put her hands forward, expecting to be chained. The boy shoved her hands down. "We're not going that far."

He stepped aside and she walked out of the cell. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Me?" He indicated the door to Kidomaru's cell. "You've got a visitor that wants to speak to you both. So I'm putting you in the same place. Just get in there and shut up would you?"

She did so and he closed the door on her.

Kidomaru frowned at it. "Huh? What are they putting you in here for?"

The redhead narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't sound so excited."

He frowned at that. "I'm nervous. It's bad enough just being next to you."

She shrugged. "That guy said we had a visitor."

"You do," replied a vaguely familiar voice. "Hello, Tayuya, Kidomaru."

"Dosu," said the male prisoner.

"Fucking traitorous trash," growled Tayuya. "What the hell do you want?"

The pair glared at the figure on the other side of the bars. His face was bandaged up, and his arms had his gauntlets on them again. "To discuss what's going to happen to you."

Sasuke was behind him looking relaxed and less than interested.

"What do you mean? We'll be executed of course." The redhead turned her eyes away. "We're not going to turn traitor like you."

"What? You think they're just going to let you go back? Even if you escape, they'll kill you if you return. Just like they did to my team." He shook his head. "No. I didn't betray anyone. I was betrayed by Orochimaru, and so were you. I heard about what happened with Kimmimaro. He didn't come here to rescue you two."

Kidomaru hung his head. "Yeah. Well, that's part of being a ninja. We failed, and I'm not so sure I'm glad I survived. Just wish the bastard had been quicker about it."

Dosu nodded. "I'd have died for Sound, but what Orochimaru did was unforgivable. He murdered my team to perform a fucking jutsu. Sacrificed them for a goddamn technique in a failed attempt to assassinate the Third Hokage. I hate him."

Tayuya spit between the bars. "I fucking hate you. You betrayed Sound, you trash!"

Dosu shifted out of the way. "He's going to get Sound destroyed, and Rice with it. Konohagakure is far stronger, and the Five Countries are starting to see things their way. It's just a matter of time. If we don't get rid of him, Sound and Rice will go down with him. Konohagakure would rather just get rid of him if they can. They've no interest in conquering Rice or destroying it if they don't need to."

Kidomaru chuckled. "We? So, you're one of them now are you? Leaf trash?"

Dosu nodded. "That's right. I am. What does it matter? Sound won't have me anymore than they'd have you. There's nothing you can do, you're exiles. You're not Sound ninja anymore, and they don't want you back. You're nothing but missing nin."

Tayuya ignored him and nodded at Sasuke. "What? This trash is singing your praises, Leaf trash. You're not going to reward him?"

"Yeah. Give the dog a biscuit," agreed Kidomaru.

Sasuke shrugged. "You two remind me of how I used to be. I hated everything, still don't like much. Then I figured out that it's best to not waste time hating more than the one who made me suffer. So now, I just hate him."

Tayuya pushed her cheeks against the bars with a mad eyed glare. "Did Orochimaru make you suffer?"

The raven haired boy smirked. "No. I'm not talking about him. I could give a shit about your boss."

Dosu nodded. "He's right. Don't think I haven't heard about you screaming curses at Sound down here. Leaf has you in that cell because you attacked them. We've talked about that before. Stop wasting time hating them."

Kidomaru hung his head. "What does it matter? We'll be killed regardless."

Dosu crossed his arms. "No, you idiots. This isn't Sound in case you've noticed. As long as you behave, they won't kill you. In fact, that's part of the reason I'm here."

The pair in the cell looked up at him in half disgusted half confused shock.

"It's going to be a while. You're not to be trusted, you'll always be under guard, and you won't be allowed to be ninja anymore. No weapons, your chakra will be sealed, and you'll have limited freedom, but...you're right that we can't keep you here forever." He raised his arm and pulled his sleeve down past his elbow. "As long as this war with Sound is going on, I'm not much better off." There was a tattoo on his elbow. "This is a tracking seal. It lets them know where I am at all times. I was allowed to keep my weapons and I can work as a Genin because I defected and provided information. There's nothing you two know we don't already, and you were captured as prisoners of war."

"What are you saying?" snapped Kidomaru.

"Call it work release," replied Dosu. "It's a few weeks away, so I won't get into the details. You won't be free, and you'll be under guard. You'll be given a job and a place to stay, and you won't be allowed anywhere else. You go to work, and then you go home."

"So I can expect to have this asshole glaring at my butt cheeks for the rest of my fucking life then?" Tayuya nodded at Sasuke. "No thanks. I'd rather stay in here and rot."

The ANBU chuckled. "No. The Police Force will be handling that. I'm an ANBU, and keeping track of prisoners isn't my job. I'm just here for today because Ibiki asked me to look after you so you could get out of the cells for a bit."

Dosu nodded. "You're lucky. The ANBU put in a good word for you. The fact that you helped get rid of Kimmimaro is the only reason they're doing this. Normally, they'd just send you to Kajishufu to spend the rest of your life in prison there, if you weren't executed that is."

Kidomaru hung his head. "Yeah. Lucky us."

Tayuya didn't look pleased and turned away from the bars. "Whatever. Don't expect us to be grateful."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Well, see you around then. Learn to keep your mouth under control and keep your head down, and you might live through the war. If you handle it right, you can probably leave and do what you want when it's over."

Dosu turned away. "I'll be in touch. You don't have to pretend to like me, but it will go smoother if you can pretend to act civilized."

The ANBU opened the cell door and waved his hand at her. "Come on, back to your cell."

She shuffled out and jerked her shoulder away from his hand as he ushered her along. A moment later, the cell was closed and he walked out with Dosu.

The former Sound glanced at him. "It was kind of you to volunteer to keep an eye on them and get them out for a bit."

The ANBU shrugged and looked indifferent. "Guess I felt a little sorry for them, and she did help us out that night, even if it was for her own reasons. She looked out for her companion too, that counts for something around here."

Dosu nodded. "Yeah. This place is different than I'd heard. We were enemies, and I suppose they exaggerated things to make us hate Fire and Leaf more."

Sasuke smirked at that. "We're not all that good either."

The Genin nodded. "I know. Leaf ninja have it better than you think. Maybe they'll see it, maybe not. It wouldn't surprise me if they tried to escape and ended up getting sent to prison in Kajishufu anyway. Still, I understand them, and I have to try."

The ANBU turned away moving in a different direction as they exited the holding area. "Yeah. Well, I'll see you around. I've got a meeting to go to."

OooOOooOO

Within ten minutes he was in the Fox Den. He slumped down in a chair in front of Naruto's desk. Sakura and Ino were already there and standing around the room in relaxed poses along the walls. "Hey. What's up? I heard you wanted to talk to us."

Naruto had his feet on his desk and looked annoyed. "Yeah. I did."

"What's this about?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah. Is there another mission?" Ino leaned forward and grinned.

"Probably, but I won't be along," commented Naruto as he put his hands behind his head. Everyone looked confused for a moment. He looked at Sasuke. "I'm no longer a member of Team Shadow."

"What?" said Sakura in confusion.

Naruto shrugged. "I got fired, relieved of duty, whatever you want to call it. I'm no longer on your team."

They all gave him blank stares. Even Sasuke looked dumbfounded.

"Wh...what are you talking about?" muttered Ino finally.

Naruto looked at the ceiling. "Starting tomorrow, I've got a Genin team. I'll give them the 'test' of course, but they'll be passing it regardless. My team was hand selected for me by the Hokage, and I can't get out of it." He frowned a little and tossed a pencil into the ceiling boards. It stuck in place along side about fifteen others.

Ino cocked her head. "They're making you an instructor?"

Sakura seemed to think on that. "Those poor Genin."

Sasuke nodded. "I suppose we'll be getting a replacement then?"

Naruto nodded. "Probably. Make sure and get them up to speed. I doubt you'll be getting stuck with a Genin. You're ANBU so they'll probably stick you with a 'spare'." It was a common term used when Ninja were left without a team for various reasons. Anything from having team members die, to retired ninja leaving vacancies, or even reassignments leaving teams with too few members to operate normally. The remaining members were often either put together, or transfered to new teams with openings. "No idea who it will be."

Sakura frowned and hung her head. "So, you're not on our team anymore then?"

Ino looked pretty much the same. "Wow. I mean, it happens to every team sooner or later, but still. We'll miss you, I guess. It was going so well and I didn't expect it so soon."

Naruto seemed surprised. "Huh? I'm not dead or anything. Relax. I'll be seeing you around and all. I'm still an ANBU, I'm still running the Den, and you guy get everything but drinks free for life. You can handle missions without me. I'm to understand I'll be taking solo missions on occasion while I've got my Genin team."

The girls looked to be on the verge of tears, but kept themselves under control. They didn't seem too upset, but it was an emotional moment for them.

Sasuke sat back in his chair. "What happened anyway? I mean, there must have been a reason."

The blond kicked his feet off his desk and folded his hands on top of it with a sigh. "Hokage wants me to train more ninja like us. Those two lazy jerks that trained me won't do it, so now I'm stuck being an instructor."

"That's remarkably similar to what she said," replied a familiar voice from behind them.

Sakura and Sasuke both turned back quickly. Ino looked as well, but arched her eyebrow. "Kakashi sensei!" said the pink haired girl as she smiled at him.

The gray haired man seemed cheerful. "Hello. I was just looking for you."

Naruto stood up. "Hey. What's up?"

Kakashi looked over at him. "I'm your replacement. The Hokage decided to take your advice. I'll be taking over your team."

The blond smirked and nodded. "I see." He flopped down in his chair and kicked his feet up. "How did they drag you back into the ANBU?"

His former instructor chuckled. "Who said I left? You'll be back most likely. Jounin are independent operatives for the most part. We get rotated into teams for a time as well on occasion."

Sakura smiled at him. "So we'll be working with you again?"

He nodded. "That's right. Don't get too nostalgic. I'm not an instructor anymore. You should stop calling me Sensei. We're all ANBU now, though do I still outrank you."

Ino seemed to think about it. "That's right. You were their Jounin Instructor when we were all Genin, weren't you?"

The man nodded. "Yes. We all know each other pretty well. I'm sure we'll get along all right."

Sasuke seemed very relaxed. "Heh. I guess I'm not in charge then."

Kakashi glanced down at him. "Afraid not. Sorry."

The boy arched his eyebrow. "Are you kidding? That's great! I'd never be able to dodge these two if I was the leader."

Ino smiled at him. "Well, now you only have to dodge Sakura, because Naruto won't be around so much."

"Actually, I think he was talking about you and Naruto," commented Sakura.

Naruto smiled at Kakashi. "Get used to it."

The man dropped his head a little. "I...see."

Sasuke stood up. "I'm getting kind of used to tuning it out."

Sakura and Ino had their foreheads touching as they glared at each other. "I'm pretty sure he was talking about you."

"No way. He definitely meant you!"

Naruto felt better seeing it. "Hey. I don't have to put up with it anymore either way!"

The two girls glared at him for a moment, but seemed to relax in unison.

Ino seemed unsure of what to say. "I...I guess this is goodbye then."

Sakura puffed her chest out a bit. "You're a total jerk and a sadistic pervert...but...it was an honor serving with you anyway." She bowed to him.

Sasuke smirked at that. "Someday, I'm gonna kick your ass. You know that right?"

Naruto shrugged. "You'll certainly try. Don't be strangers. It's not like I've been banished or killed."

Kakashi nodded. "I'll look out for them."

The blond boy nodded. "They'll look out for you too."

The group left his office and he stayed behind his desk. Tomorrow was a new day, and he had to get up early so he could start tormenting those children.

OooOOooOO

Naruto yawned as he crawled out of bed. Kira, Masara, and Koruma were curled up on the mattress in the nude. He had on a pair of shorts and scratched his head as he blinked some of the sleep out of his eyes. It was early, the sky outside was orange as the sun rose. "Coffee," he grumbled as he worked his toes into the carpet and shuffled over to the kitchen.

He glanced over his shoulder at the kitsune and rubbed at his neck. He was still getting used to the new bed. He'd replaced his old single mattress with a king sized bed. They would all fit into it with room to spare, and they'd made full use of it. He turned back to what he was doing and started the coffee maker before going over to the fridge to start breakfast.

Kitsuma was starting to grunt and whimper a little. He wasn't awake yet, but his father could tell he would be soon.

Kira was the first to wake up and put her feet over the edge of the bed. She gave him a sleepy smile as her clothes appeared on her body. "Good morning, Highness."

The blond nodded and rubbed at his eyes while yawning. "Yeah. It is, sort of."

The violet haired kitsune was usually the first of the trio to rise in the mornings. He was usually up a bit before her. She cocked her head and pouted a little. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I've got to start with that Genin team today," he replied simply.

She seemed pleased. "I'm sure you'll get into it once you get started."

He gave a half hearted smile at that. "Probably. It's still a little annoying though."

OooOOooOO

It was about eight thirty in the morning. Naruto was outside walking through the streets of the village. He was making his way towards the practice field where he was supposed to meet his Genin team at nine. He had no intention of making it on time, and was planning on meeting them at about ten. It would give them time to get frustrated and think about how they'd missed a meal.

"Naruto," called a familiar voice.

He turned and smiled as he noticed Iruka approaching. Classes were over until the end of the summer break. "Iruka, it's been a while."

"Yes, it has." His former instructor looked very pleased to see him. "I've heard of course. You're instructing a one of the Genin teams."

The blond nodded. "Yes. I'll be meeting with them later."

Iruka smirked at him. "Don't be too hard on them."

Naruto chuckled at that. "Well, I might have to muzzle one of them, but I think they'll do all right."

The man nodded. "Midori is a bit...spirited. She's a good kid though. She was ranked third in the class. She's got a good handle on Taijutsu and her Genjutsu skill isn't bad either. She could use a bit of work in Ninjutsu." He gave his former student a knowing smile. "I suspect you already know about Konohamaru. Ebisu is a good tutor, but I know you've been working with him. He was moved up two grades, and I have trouble telling if he's in class sometimes. I may not have noticed it with you, but now that I know what to look for it's kind of hard to miss."

The Jounin shrugged. "Yeah. I started working with him back when we met after my exams. I didn't expect to end up his Jounin instructor though. He used to think of us as rivals."

The academy teacher cocked his eyebrow a little. "He doesn't anymore?"

Naruto thought about it. "I'm not sure. I kind of doubt it. I'm never going to be Hokage. I sort of grew out of that I guess."

That caught his former teacher off guard. "Well, you can still dream, right?"

The boy smiled at him. "I've found other dreams. Though, that Hyuuga girl was a bit of a surprise."

Iruka seemed to agree. "Yeah. She passed the exams. She was home schooled though, so I don't know much about her. As I understand it, she's to be Hiashi's heir. He trained her personally. She was able to make a Bunshin easily, and her written exams scores were above average. Quite impressive for her age."

Naruto nodded and looked thoughtful. "I see. She seems confident, very formal though. Not that it's a bad thing, but she does seem a bit young."

The teacher shrugged at that. "It's not the first time someone as young as her has become a Genin."

The blond seemed to consider that. "I guess so. Still, that Midori girl is going to be a bit of a pain. I have to train her to shut up. I'm more concerned with her than either of the other two."

Iruka chuckled at that. "Well, don't forget they're just Genin. Try not to overdo it. You'll be fine, I'm sure."

Naruto smiled at him and turned away. "Well, I've got to go start torturing them. I'll see you later. I'll probably be around more now that I'm an Instructor."

The man waved at him. "All right then, don't be a stranger. I'll catch up to you again some time."

OooOOooOO

Naruto had just finished explaining the test to the three academy students. They looked up at him with rather blank expressions. He started the timer and crossed his arms. "All right now, you've got about two hours to get the bells away from me. Whoever doesn't have a bell when the timer goes off fails. If you don't go all out and use killing force, you'll fail for sure. Anytime you're ready we can begin. You may use kunai and any weapons you might have."

Hanabi jumped up and rushed at him without a word. It almost caught him off guard. The girl moved to attack with a blank expression on her face, poking at him with her palms open using her fingers to strike. Chakra flowed through her towards her hands and her strikes were carefully aimed.

Naruto countered the strikes and blocked easily, keeping her from striking his pressure points easily even on his blocking limbs. She was pretty skilled, but she wasn't Neji either. He had no difficulty holding her off and stayed in place as she rushed and jumped around him, looking for any opening she could find.

Konohamaru frowned at Midori. The girl was a bit shocked and wasn't quite sure what to do. "Wow, she just attacked him."

"Sorry, but only two of us can pass and all. She's way cuter than you are, I hope you understand." The boy ran towards the fray.

"Cute? You pervert!" snapped Midori in irritation. "That jerk, this is why he didn't want us to eat! I can't believe this stupid test!"

Konohamaru had a kunai in his hand as he jumped at Naruto from behind. The blond ninja spun around and kicked him in the gut. He put his hand on Hanabi's head and flipped over her. The girl gasped in surprise as she found herself with her fist in Konohamaru's belly.

"Ouch," grumbled the boy a little sourly. He didn't think anything of it, and she didn't seem to either as she ignored him and turned to attack again. The boy put his hand on her shoulder to stop her for a moment and she glared at him looking annoyed. "Hey, look. I'm gonna try to steal those bells while you keep him distracted. Help me, and I'll give you one. I'd rather end up with you than with that mouth with legs."

She scowled and turned her head towards Naruto without bothering to respond and dashed away as she charged him.

"Well, isn't she friendly?" grumbled the boy. He moved off looking for cover and trying to shift to Naruto's blind side. His former tutor turned instructor was wise to it though, and kept him in sight.

Midori screamed as she jumped at the older boy with both her feet aimed at the back of his head. The Jounin just shifted aside and extended his arm, clotheslining her as she sailed past him.

The blond squatted down next to her and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you screaming?"

She tried to punch him in the face and he hopped up out of the way. Hanabi missed trying to strike at his back as he went over her head and landed behind her, and she tripped over the fallen girl landing face first in the grass.

Naruto stuck his arm back behind him and put his palm against Konohamaru's head. The boy slashed at him with a kunai from behind and missed. The instructor looked back at him and smiled. "Hey. You've been practicing I see. I almost didn't notice you that time." He shoved and the boy ended up on his back.

OooOOooOO

About two hours later, Midori was tied to the wooden post and looked very annoyed. "That bastard. I'll kill him."

Konohamaru was eating one of the two meals that their Instructor had brought with him. "Huh? No way. You couldn't even kill him if he let you. Bro sensei is real strong."

Hanabi had the other meal and didn't say anything. She looked focused and was contemplating her next move. Her opponent was nearly impossible to hit, and she only had one more chance to get a bell.

Konohamaru gave a heavy sigh and offered the unfinished portion of his meal to Midori. "Here. Eat something would you?"

Hanabi frowned at him. "We're not supposed too. Sensei said..."

The boy frowned at her. "Hey. We all need strength. In case you haven't figured it out yet, we're going to have to work together to get those bells. None of us is going to get one unless all three of us are working together."

The white eyed girl gasped and got a little wide eyed. "But...you'll get in trouble."

Midori turned her nose up. "Just eat it. I..."

Konohamaru shoved it in her chest. "Shut up and eat. You're no good to us if you're weak from hunger. We're gonna have to come up with a plan. Besides, Bro sensei always told me that a ninja that doesn't look after their companions is lower than trash." He glanced over at the dark haired girl and narrowed his eyes a little. "Unless you really think you can take him by yourself?" He cut Midori's bindings and the brunette girl looked flushed and uncertain.

"You'll get in trouble if you get caught helping me. He told us that if you give me any food, you fail." Her tone was actually a little subdued. She was very hungry, but didn't want to cause them both to fail with her. It was obvious to her that she wouldn't pass the exam. It left her feeling a little depressed and she didn't look at either of them. Hanabi had stood against the Jounin better than she had, and Konohamaru had come closer than either of them to landing a blow several times.

Hanabi hung her head and offered her lunch to Midori as well. "He's right. We're going to have to think of something. He's already been trying to sneak up on him while he's been distracted by the two of us, and he's come closer than either of us. It might work if we're both working together to keep his attention."

"Well, that's a good plan. It wouldn't work as well as you're hoping, but it's nice to know you can think things through."

The trio all gasped and turned their heads up. Naruto was sitting on one of the branches in the trees above them. He was lounging in a very relaxed position, and had in fact been there the whole time. The trio had been fighting one of his clones.

Konohamaru blinked and worked his mouth open and closed. "I uh..."

Hanabi almost dropped her food, but Midori caught it. The brunette girl started eating, figuring they'd been caught red handed anyway.

The blond ninja looked up at the leaves above his head. "You all pass by the way. Konohamaru is right. As a ninja team, you've got to be able to count on each other." He sat up and turned with his legs hanging off the branch and looked down at them. "A ninja who is only out for themselves is worthless. A danger to their team, and their mission. He was the only one who saw more than just a bell for himself in that fight. You two girls were focused on getting one of your own. It was easy to deal with you. He was using you as a distraction, but he also tried to help you both out. Striking when it gave you both an advantage in the hope that at least one of you might be able to get a strike in and steal one of the bells."

The two girls both looked towards the dark haired boy in surprise. He looked back at them and shrugged. "I figured I'd end up with at least one of you anyway."

Midori scowled at him. "Don't put it that way!"

He shrugged at her. "Sorry, Hanabi is much cuter and less annoying. That's why I helped her out more."

The Hyuuga girl ignored him. "Sensei, this was all a deception then?"

The blond nodded. "Of course, more than you think in fact. We're ninja after all. If you're in a fair fight, you've already failed."

Another Naruto spoke up from behind them. "Even if you'd managed to beat me, you still wouldn't have gotten a bell from me."

The two girls looked surprised.

Konohamaru scowled. "What? You mean we've been fighting a stupid clone?"

"Th-that's dirty!" cried Midori.

"Not very honorable," muttered Hanabi as she looked annoyed as well.

"Thank you. If you wanted honor, you should have become a samurai." Naruto reached up and pulled down. Another Konohamaru landed on the ground next to himself causing both girls to jump back.

"Rats," grumbled the boy as he scratched his head in stereo. "I didn't think you noticed me."

Naruto chuckled. "You've gotten pretty good at playing dumb, Konohamaru."

"Huh? Two of him?" muttered Midori in confusion. "Wait a minute..." Her eyes went wide and she gasped. "That time...and then...that other time...and..." She whirled around and glared at him. "I knew it! You asshole! I'll kill you!"

Naruto landed between them as the two clones vanished. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Now, you can get him back later. For now, you should celebrate passing your exam. Starting tomorrow, we start taking missions as a Genin team."

She calmed and looked up at him. "So, we all pass then?"

"Father will be pleased," said Hanabi without smiling.

"That was easier than I though," said Konohamaru as he crossed his arms. "I already had a plan worked out and everything though. Oh well."

Naruto released the girl as she seemed to have calmed. "Yes, well. Don't expect anything terribly exciting for a while. You're ninja, but you're still Genin. We'll probably be doing D ranked missions for a long time. All right, we're done for today. Meet me here tomorrow at nine, and we'll get started on your first assignment."

The children all rushed away, leaving him standing in the field where he'd become a Genin by himself. "Well, that was all the excitement I'm likely to see for a while."

OooOOooOO

"That damn cat again?" grumbled Naruto.

"That's right," replied Tsunade as she smirked at him. "The Daimyo's Wife's cat has run off again."

"Run off?" he replied. "I'm starting to think she lets it go just so the Genin can catch it. This happens every time they come to Konoha."

The Hokage ignored him. "He'd like to speak with you this evening."

The boy nodded. "I see. You've made arrangements I take it?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yes. You'll meet with him in the executive quarters. Stop by my office once the mission is complete and I'll bring you by."

He nodded and turned away. "All right then. I should go and collect my team then." He gave a small sigh as he left the office. If the Hokage's wife wasn't such a nice woman, he'd consider turning into a fox and eating the damn cat. "Oh well. At least it's not me this time."

OooOOooOO

"He's late," grumbled Midori. She scratched at her forehead under her forehead protector. It itched a little and she wasn't used to wearing it yet.

"Sensei isn't very punctual," commented Hanabi. She didn't look near as annoyed as the older girl.

Konohamaru seemed pretty relaxed and nodded. "I guess. It's no big deal, we get our first mission today. I wonder what it will be?"

"Don't get too excited," said Naruto as he walked up to the group. "You'll only be disappointed."

"You're late!" snapped Midori.

"I got lost on the road of life," said the Jounin as he only half payed attention to her.

"So what's the mission, Bro sensei?" said Konohamaru as he puffed his chest out.

The blond pulled a photo out of his shirt and held it out to them.

"A cat?" asked Hanabi.

"That's right," said their instructor. "We're to find and capture this cat. It belongs to the Daimyo's wife, and it's to be returned to her safely."

Konohamaru cocked his head. "That's it?"

Midori scowled. "That's...lame."

"I shall do my best," said Hanabi firmly.

The blond nodded at the trio. "Get used to it. This is probably the most excitement you'll see for a while. Come on."

OooOOooOO

It took about three hours to find and capture the cat. Hanabi was the one who eventually managed to nab it. She paralyzed it with a strike to a pressure point on it's back, but it was unharmed.

The Genin brought it back and it was returned to it's owner. She was a large woman who always had a bubbly cheerfulness. She doted over the Genin and praised them when they gave it back to her. Naruto hadn't done anything to help them. Konohamaru had been the one to track it down, Midori had shown a surprising ability to move through the brush and thick forest unhindered but hadn't been able to get her hands on it, and Hanabi had been the one to finally corner and capture it.

Naruto looked on as the woman fawned over the young ninja and gave them all cookies. Konohamaru was a bit annoyed by the attention, Midori looked quite proud of herself, and Hanabi was quiet and reserved, but seemed to enjoy the attention. The woman never noticed Naruto was there.

They all left and Naruto spoke to them once they were on the street again. "All right. That's all for today. I'll meet you again tomorrow with our next mission." It would probably be babysitting, helping with some sort of harvest, or repairs or cleaning in the village.

"Bye, sensei," said Hanabi as she bowed.

"Later Bro sensei," commented Konohamaru as he put his hands behind his head and grinned.

Midori gave a small sigh and nodded. "Yeah. Later I guess, sensei." She was still a little reluctant to call him her teacher.

The Genin all walked off and he started towards the Hokage's office.

OooOOooOO

It was about ten minutes later when he arrived. "Well, they did pretty well I'd say."

Tsunade smiled at him. "That's good. They get along well?"

"Konohamaru and Midori are at each other's throats. Hanabi is pretty quiet and well behaved. A little too much if you ask me. Otherwise, yeah. Pretty much."

The Hokage sat back in her chair and put her fingers together. "Three hours isn't bad for this mission. How did they manage to catch her?"

Naruto seemed a bit surprised at that. "Well, Konohamaru tracked her down. He was the one who noticed her tracks and found some fur on some of the bushes. Midori chased her around a bit, and ended up driving her to Hanabi, who incapacitated her and caught her."

The woman chuckled. "I see. Have you figured out why I put that girl on your team yet?"

"Which one?" asked Naruto.

"I'll take that as a no then," replied the woman cryptically. "It's not important right now. We've got a meeting to go to."

The blond frowned a little, but didn't bother asking. "Midori huh?" He thought to himself. He had her figured for a wild card. Now he was going to have to pay more attention and figure out what Tsunade was talking about.

OooOOooOO

Within five minutes he was sitting in front of the Daimyo covered in golden fur with nine tails wagging behind him. "Hello again. It's been a while."

The man smiled at him. "Yes. I hope you're well. You should have stopped by to see me while you were in the capitol."

The kitsune cocked his head. "Well, I didn't want to intrude. I was there on business."

The man nodded. "What business did you have in Kajishufu?" His tone was friendly and he didn't seem to be prying.

The animal shrugged. "I have people of my own to keep tabs on."

A large and familiar woman walked into the room with tea in her hands. "Oh! Oh my!" she gasped as she noticed the creature.

"Ah. You've not met my wife have you?" said the Daimyo as he introduced her.

The cat his team had just brought back was rubbing at her legs and froze at the sight of the larger animal in the room. It arched it's back and skittered behind her legs.

"No. I don't believe I have. It's a pleasure," he replied.

The woman stared at him with wide eyes and nodded. "I...I didn't believe it." She bowed deeply. "My family is in your debt."

Naruto wagged his tails. "It was no trouble. She's a nice girl, my friends in the garden told me that she is very kind to them. A very spirited human."

The Daimyo nodded and hung his head a little. "Yes. It was quite an ordeal for all of us."

The creature gave a grave looking nod. "I hope she is well?"

The man nodded as his wife set out tea. "She is recovering. I fear you may have saved her life. I am to understand that those thugs he hired were meant to kill her."

Naruto nodded. The man's tone implied that he already knew of that when he ordered his death. "That's what she told me. I'm afraid I just stumbled across it while I was in the garden. The kitsune there seemed displeased with what happened to her." They were, sort of. Not for reasons a human would easily understand though. Kitsune usually related things to food, mating, or a good laugh. Little else was very important to them. "I decided to look into it, and helped her escape. I'm to understand he was assassinated the next day. I don't really know anything about that."

The man nodded. "Yes. My family is in Shadow Realm's debt. Thanks to you, my daughter is safe again. Anything you would ask..."

The golden haired best perked it's ears up. "You already know what I want."

The Daimyo nodded. "I see. Very well, I shall put forth an executive order. No Foxes are to be harmed in Fire Country, and hunting them shall be illegal."

Naruto bowed his head a little. "You have my gratitude."

The man smiled. "I do hope we continue to have pleasant relations in the future."

"As do I," replied the fox.

The Daimyo's wife smiled a little nervously at the thing. "Would you like some tea?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment. "That would be nice." He shifted forms into the young buxom blond woman again.

The woman was wide eyed and shook a little as she poured the cup. "Oh my. I really didn't believe it."

They sat around and had pleasant small talk for another hour. After that, they parted and Naruto walked out into the hall again.

He gave a smirk as he noticed the guards turn their heads and watch her walk out. They seemed a bit confused, but didn't leave their posts or question her. Once out of sight she changed back into her male form and walked out into the streets of Konohagakure.

He headed for his home. It was still light out, and he could spend some time with his son and get some sleep. He had to be up early the next day and go on a mission with his Genin team.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Whirlpool mission.

Before anyone asks, Team Shadow is not being written out of the story. We'll be seeing a lot of them, as potato digging and babysitting is boring to read about. Neither is Naruto for that matter, he's still got tons of shit that will be pouring down on his head soon enough.


	45. Chapter 45

Kyubed: Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

Part 45

The Whirlpool Mission.

OooOOooOO

Hinata Hyuuga stood on a hillside with the full moon high above her. A breeze was blowing through the long grass in the valley that surrounded her. The blades moved like water, giving the appearance of an ocean before her. Whirlpool had always had a chaotic landscape. The country had large valleys that were often battered by high winds and tornadoes. The landscape was rocky, and while long grass grew on any open ground, its roots dug deep into the gravel that made up most of the ground. It was difficult to walk silently in Whirlpool, but not impossible. The unique ground gave rise to a system of springs that dotted the landscape as well. When the moon was shining right, it was difficult to tell where the waters began and the grass ended. While the water was prized throughout the world, it was dangerous as well. The pools often had powerful currents that gave the country its name. There would be no travel for them that night. Even her eyes could not distinguish a clear path.

She didn't need to turn to see behind her. A large tent was set up in a small grove of trees at the top of the hill she was standing on. Inside was their mission, a Nobleman from Grass country. He was to be guarded, and brought to the capitol when the other ninja finished their mission. No one knew anything about what that mission was except maybe Kurenai, and she wasn't talking. The only thing she knew was that there were two Jounin level ninja operating within the borders. They would be given word when their part in the mission would begin, but she doubted the Jounin would show up personally to tell them. It would probably be a coded message.

The girl froze and narrowed her eyes. "Who goes there? I can see you quite well. Identify yourselves." She had a kunai in her fist and took a step back.

Two men approached. "We need to speak to Kurenai. Our mission is complete, but there are...complications." One of them stepped forward and put up his hands with a grin on his face. He was wearing a Leaf forehead protector and a Jounin vest. His companion was as well, and they both looked rather nondescript. Black clothes and short black hair. The pair weren't related, but had a small frown on their faces as they spoke. "What's this I see?" Their chakra was a deep red in color, and much weaker than most people. She almost backed into her instructor.

"What is it? Why are you here? We weren't supposed to meet." Kurenai narrowed her eyes at them.

The one closest to the two kunoichi nodded. "Yes. The mission was a success. There's something we need to discuss before you begin your mission."

"I don't like this," grumbled Hinata as she frowned at the pair. "Something is wrong, their chakra...seems strange."

Kurenai glanced down at her. "Well, what is it?"

"It's not for the ears of a Genin," replied the one at the rear. "I'm sure you understand."

Kurenai balled up her fist and frowned at Hinata. "Go into the tent and stand guard. Don't let Odiri out of your sight, no matter what."

The girl frowned at that, but nodded. "Yes, Kurenai sensei."

The two Jounin approached a little more, but still stood about five feet from the woman and neither one tried to flank her. They crossed their arms. The more forward of the two watched her go. "Cute kid. Hyuuga, huh? Bet she would have done well."

His companion nodded. "Yes. We succeeded, the Royal Family is dead. Kotoga wanted to be rid of them to begin with. They were getting uppity and annoying."

Kurenai gasped. He was suddenly standing next to her with his arm around her shoulder. "After we completed our assignment, we were captured."

"After we were turned by Kashimiro Kotoga, we were quite willing to tell him about the details of our little plan." His friend was on her other shoulder as she missed slashing the other with her weapon. "At any rate, we're to deliver Odiri-samma to him. So he can be used as a pawn, just as the previous royal family was used. It will keep the other countries happy, and keep things as they are. After we're finished here, we're to return to Konohagakure and find out who put us up to this."

His companion nodded. "I suppose we're fortunate it wasn't Idan. He would have just killed us very slowly."

Kurenai tried to jump back away from them, but found the appeared next to her and gripped her arms as they pulled her into the trees around the campsite. Her eyes were wide with terror as the pair opened their mouths much wider than they should have been able to. Two inch long fangs protruded from their exposed gums as the now red eyed creatures bit down into her neck. She gasped and struggled as she looked up at the moon. A single tear fell down her cheek as she felt herself grow cold. "I...I'm sorry, Sarutobi." She slumped down limp on the ground as the two Jounin released her and wiped their mouths with their hand in the same manner.

"Don't forget, there's still more. Odiri is only for Lord Kotoga," growled one of them as they looked down at her.

Hinata and her two ninja companions rushed out the front of the tent. "This way!" cried Hinata.

They had heard the struggle outside, and Hinata noticed the pair grabbing Kurenai and pulling her away from the tent. The woman told her to go inside the tent because she knew Hinata could still see what was going on. It had happened so fast that they couldn't react fast enough. The trio slid to a halt in front of a horrifying scene. The two creatures were dropping Kurenai's body to the ground. One of them spoke and the group of genin all took in what was said as their eyes snapped onto him.

"Let's have some fun. These brats can keep us busy for a while." He spread his arms and roared as his face became inhuman. His fingers elongated and turned into claws, and a pair of two inch fangs were bared at them.

The girl gasped. "What? No!"

Shino was silent, but clearly shocked.

Kiba was looking on with his faithful companion at his side. "N-no way!" Akamaru was growling with his hair bristling up. It was quite a bit more threatening than it was when he was a pup considering his shoulder was as high as his master's hip.

The things stalked towards the children growling and hissing as their arms changed into wing like appendages while their faces became even more inhuman.

Hinata staggered back a single step. "It... This is not... They are not like him." She could still see their chakra, it was thin and red, but there. She was confused and afraid. Her mind stopped and she froze. Both her companions were in a similar state of non movement and the beasts were taking their time and stalking around them. The trio was back to back and the things circled around them, growing closer with each pass. "I can't be afraid. I can't be afraid. I don't want to be afraid of him anymore. I can't. I won't die like this. I must be able to face him."

Kiba and Shino actually turned their heads a little. She'd spoken the last two sentences out loud, and it was not a shaky or timid voice. She had a stern expression on her face, and her tone had dropped quite a bit.

One of the things hissed in amusement and spoke. "It seems one may still have some fight left in her. The others are frozen in terror."

"Not really," growled Kiba. "We're just pissed off about what you've done, and we're thinking about what we're gonna do about it, right Akamaru?"

The dog gave a growling bark and snarled at the things.

Shino turned his eyes towards Hinata. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head. "No. I've just realized how weak I've become. How can I fight something I'm too afraid to look at?"

The boy turned his eyes towards the two somewhat confused looking monsters. He had small jars in his hands and popped the cork off one. "Overcome that fear."

She smirked and closed her eyes. "Right." In her hands were two wooden kunai with silver cores and tips.

Kiba chuckled. "Hold your breath Akamaru. I know you don't like this, and we're all gonna need a bath later." He opened his coat and threw a small vial onto the ground at his feet. A yellowish vapor escaped and surrounded the trio. The vampires put their claws up and backed away looking irritated by the cloud.

"What is this?" snarled one of them.

"It's garlic gas," replied the boy as he held his nose. "We'll stink for three days after this, you jerks. You just fucked with the wrong team, you blood sucking leeches."

"They intend to fight? Good," replied the other. "Much more fun this way. What can a couple of Genin do against us?"

Hinata spoke up as she stepped forward and put an open palm strike into the creature in front of her's chest. It flew back and bounced off a tree. She curved up her fingers and waved him towards her. "I'm not going to fight you. I'm going to kick your ass."

Kiba choked and his head turned to look at her. "Huh?"

Shino waved his arms and a black swarm crawled out his sleeve and into the bottles in his grip. They flew out of the opening and swarmed the other creature. It shrieked in pain as small red welts began forming all over it's body. The wounds started to smoke as he thrashed against the insects. "What is this? Bugs?"

"Yes, each one holding a small drop of sacred water. It has been blessed, and is quite effective against your kind." Shino turned to look at the other one as his swarm returned to him. The Vampire behind him was melting away as if he'd been dipped in acid. His skin slumped off along with his muscle, only to form pools of slightly gelled liquid that further consumed the remains. "Interesting that this training has proved useful. I didn't really expect it."

Hinata kept her eyes closed, using the monster's chakra lines. The girl was waving her weapons around in a rather rigid looking movement.

Kiba looked on in confusion at the scene. The vampire was moving at a high speed. Much more than she should have been able to handle. However, she was doing something that very much confused him. It was a traditional dance, her weapons where the wards would normally be. He recognized it, and it was a bit embarrassing. Hinata had insisted that they train in an old form of dance for exorcism. She'd been doing it her whole life, it was something of a tradition to have girls learn traditional dance in some of the more prominent families. Many parents forced it on their daughters in the hope it would make them more attractive to those sorts of families when they got older.

Men, as a rule, did not do it. It was considered unmanly.

Kurenai had given in rather easily. Probably because she thought it was funny, but also because the dance training also helped with chakra control. The two kunoichi were also forced to swear an oath never to reveal that they had been trained in traditional exorcism dance. Shino had stood with him in protest, each citing 'it's a guy thing' for their reason for opposition to the idea. The compromise had been reached after Kurenai explained that any other form of such training, which they were required to complete, would be done in the most painful way possible.

Hinata loved the training. She had always enjoyed the dance, as it brought back pleasant memories of her youth. Hyuuga girls performed the dance as a part of formal celebrations within the clan, and everyone knew Hinata was the best of them. Her mother had been in her own day as well, but it was a thing for young girls to do and they had grown out of performing the dances. Kurenai was also familiar with the dance from her own days as a young girl, but Hinata was better. The Hyuuga took such tradition more seriously than most families who did it.

Shino and Kiba both looked surprised. Her movement was a bit faster paced than it normally was, but it was unmistakable. The thing clawed and slashed at her, but always missed despite a much higher speed.

"Little brat, how are you doing this! I'll drain you dry!" It snarled and lunged at her.

The girl opened her eyes and gave it a hard looking stare. "For Kurenai-sensei, I banish you."

The thing snapped at her with its jaws, but her weapon had pushed through his chest and into his heart. The area around it turned gray as an orange light formed inside it's chest. The creature backed away, becoming a cloud of ash in about two seconds. The girl relaxed her arms and gripped her weapons. "It seems we will be very dusty when this is finished."

Kiba gasped. "What? Are you crazy? We've got to get out of here. We don't have a Jounin, and we can't protect this guy in a place like this." He calmed and looked serious. "Look, I'm not saying we abandon him, but we should take him back and get some backup here. This is too much for us."

Shino looked over at where his master was lying on the ground. "We finish the mission."

The other boy looked over. "Right. I wasn't thinking. We can't let that be for nothing." He sighed and hung his head. A few tears fell down his cheeks, partially from his overwhelming emotions, and partially from the gas he'd released. It was mildly irritating to humans. "So, now what? Did you see those things? We're probably going to die here if we try to complete this mission on our own."

Shino nodded. "For this, I'm willing to accept that."

Hinata glared at them both. "We have to finish her."

Both boys looked over at her. "Huh?" said Kiba as his mouth hung open. "What do you mean?"

The girl walked over to their instructor's body and fell to her knees at her side. She placed one of her weapons over the woman's chest. "Kurenai-sensei. I'm sorry."

"H-hey. What are you...?" said Kaiba with a shocked expression.

"Don't be," replied the woman as she turned her head. Her features became cruel and she grabbed the girl by the back of her neck. "Thank you." Her fingers slipped away from Hinata. The girl had her weapon buried in her chest. She was burning away as the other had, but much slower. "Tell Asuma, I'm sorry, and I love him. Get out of here, go back to Konohagakuri. That's an order." She slumped down as she seemed to shatter into dust.

Hinata sniffled and rubbed at her nose. "It's too late for that."

Kiba growled and looked down at the still growling Akamaru. "You heard her. We've got orders. We should get going. That slug, I bet he slept through the whole mess." He looked over his shoulder to the tent.

Shino gave a sigh. "He's right. It's time to go. Now that we have orders, we should follow them. It was her last to us."

The girl shook her head. Her hard expression hadn't wavered, but tears poured down her cheeks. "No. I mean while this was happening, we were surrounded. There are many, closing fast."

Shino and Kiba became alert immediately. "How many?" asked Kiba as Akamaru started to bark and look about the tree line.

"About twenty, we need to get to the tent quickly. They're circling Odiri, not us." The girl turned and started rushing towards the tent with her weapons ready. Both her teammates followed in the same manner. "Get him out quickly, we don't want to get caught inside the tent. They could just bring it down on us and trap us."

Shino nodded. "Then we should not enter, but protect the entrances. Akamaru should go inside as well, he's not suited to this enemy. We don't know what might happen if he's bitten."

Kiba lowered his eyes a little, but nodded. "You're right, but I'm less effective without him."

Hinata gave a firm nod. "So, we have our plan then. We should form a triangle around the tent, so each of us can see two of the others. If one of us goes down, we'll have to consider retreat. That means one of us will have to go inside and try to retrieve Odiri while the other covers him. Then try to break the line together and escape."

The shorter boy snorted at that. "Huh? I guess that works. What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know what to think of Uzumaki anymore. He is not one of these creatures, though he is born of darkness. I cannot say I trust him, and I think he's a monster of some kind, but I've read his book," replied the girl. "You should have studied more, maybe then you might have understood some of it."

Shino gave a snorting laugh. "I think I kind of like her like this. It is odd though." He spoke to Hinata without looking at her. "You should know we'll be keeping an eye on you. You are acting strange."

"Jerk," grumbled Kiba as he took up his position. "Akamaru, into the tent and protect Odiri. Don't let anyone touch him but us."

The dog hung his head and put his tail between his legs as he trotted inside the tent. He lay next to the cot where the man was lying on his side and snoring a little. He was a thin young man with golden curls of hair and a thin face. A small black dot was present on his cheek below his thin and curled mustache. The dog lay on it's side where he could see his master through the flap. He shifted and barked quietly under his breath as he looked on.

"Sorry, pal," grumbled the boy. He felt awful, but had seen the point. Akamaru might do more harm than good in a situation like that. He was a little worried about how long the dog could hold out before he charged in despite his command to stay. If he got in too much trouble, Akamaru would come. That worried him as much as it comforted him. He glanced over to his right and looked at Hinata. The girl had a serious frown on her face and didn't look the slightest bit afraid anymore. The girl was far from devoid of emotion though, there was a fire burning in her eyes that wasn't there before. She was alert and calm despite what they were facing. All of them had weaponry that would kill these things. Hinata had forced it on both of them, and she always carried spares in case they forgot or lost them. She wasn't forceful, bit it was hard to say no to her anyway. "Huh. Who would have thought I'd be grateful for it?" He could see their eyes in the trees surrounding them. The ninja were stuck in the forest until daybreak. Outside of the woods the tall grass would spell a death trap for them. "We're going to have to hold out here all night, aren't we?"

Shino's swarm was already surrounding him, and he was holding vials of liquids in his fingers. "I'm afraid so. It isn't safe to wander about the grasslands even without the threat the Vampires present." He was also aware that Hinata had saved their lives that night. While he and Kiba were both well armed, she was a walking arsenal against such evil. He wasn't sure, but just before the attack came, he thought he saw her crack a small but dark looking smile. No one who survived that night, ninja or vampire, would soon forget it.

Hinata drew first blood. She began to dance and closed her eyes. It was different than the one she'd used before, it kept her around a central point on the ground. Seven vampires swarmed her at once, she seemed to already be out of the way of their claws and stabbed at them when their attacks left them exposed with a set of silver kunai. Kiba and Shino were both using weapons with silver etched onto the blades, but hers were pure metal weapons. The creatures turned to ash immediately in the wake of her attacks. She put a stab under the arm and into the rib cage of the first one to attack, the next tried to tackle her and she put one weapon into its forehead to stop its charge and released the first weapon from its skull by putting the other into his chest. She turned in the same motion and pushed both weapons into the chest of one that tried to jump on top of her. A moment later she moved at high speed between two of them and their heads fell off on either side of her.

Shino was having little difficulty defending his position. His insects kept the path forward barred and lashed out at any that neared. He had already liquified three of them, and a fourth stood snarling and hissing at him alone. The wall shifted and two of the monsters screamed in rage and pain as they fell down on either side of him. The things could sprout wings and had tried to swoop down into him. It did leave him with a bit less protection ahead of him and the grounded vampire tried to charge. It wasn't a very smart move, as the swarm left the two monsters on the ground and surrounded him. Shino was exposed for a moment by this as his swarm finished the creatures off. He could incapacitate them easily, but it took a while to kill them. He noted that his bottles were half empty. No more of the things were moving on his position, but he could not leave it unguarded.

Kiba wasn't sitting idly during all of this. The monsters were fast, but his gas bombs kept them from rushing him. They could get through it to him, but it slowed them down a great deal and was painful for them to try. The garlic gas was a lot more than a mere irritant to them. Their flesh bubbled and blistered if it came into contact with it. He gripped his silver etched kunai in his grip and frowned. "Come on, let's finish this quickly."

There were only four of them, two were on the edge of the gas cloud, and it was starting to fade. He had to be careful, he only had a few more of those bombs. The effects didn't just go away when the gas faded. They were having trouble focusing on him and staggering a bit. He rushed the pair who looked the most damaged and they roared at him. The boy didn't stop and used two hands to thrust his kunai into the chest of one of them. He turned and kicked the other in the chest before back handing the same weapon into its heart. The third snarled and backed away, but he simply tossed the weapon and it went right through its chest.

The fourth grabbed his arm and the back of his head. He used his free hand to pull another weapon from his belt, but wasn't fast enough. The creature clamped down on his arm with its mouth as it started to burn away.

His eyes went wide as he fell to the ground on his knees clutching his arm and found himself looking at a bloody stump. He screamed and fell onto his side next to a pair of thin pale legs. He was gasping and turning white. Hinata was at his side and was wrapping a belt around his severed arm. The boy's eyes wandered as she did this and he looked confused. A bloody tanto knife was lying on the ground next to her. It had the Hyuuga seal on the handle.

Hinata pulled the boy to his feet roughly. She dragged him towards the campfire outside the tent, picked up one of the logs, put her knee across his chest and a stick in his mouth. Kiba got wide eyed as the girl took one of the burning logs out and pressed it firmly against the open wound. His screams renewed and tears poured from his eyes as she did this. After a moment she stopped and examined the wound before taking her leg off of him. She reached onto her side and pulled out a pouch. He looked on in silent horror as she began sanitizing and dressing his severed arm.

"You...you cut off my arm?" He was pale and sweating.

"Yes," replied Hinata simply.

"You're tougher than I thought. I'd have passed out by now," commented Shino. "Since you've abandoned your post, I suspect we are currently vampire free?"

The girl looked very focused and serious as she tended to Kiba. "My eyes aren't as good as Neji's, but there are none nearby. There may be more out in the grass, we can't let our guard down."

"Where's Akamaru?" grumbled Kiba as he looked around.

Hinata gave him a small smile. "I threw a small gas pellet into the tent before this started. He's fine, but he's sleeping. He'll wake up with Odiri in the morning. I didn't want the noise to wake Odiri up and have him wander out here in the middle of it. I know you wanted Akamaru safe, he'll be fine."

"Thank y... Wait, you cut off my arm." The injured boy let his head fall back and he scowled.

Hinata gave him a shove in his chest. "What? You'd rather be a Vampire? You saw what happened..." Her eyes became glazed over.

Kiba grabbed her shoulder. "I know. It sucks so I'm giving you a hard time about it. I owe you, but I'm not gonna let you forget it anytime soon either." He actually smiled a bit. "Got anything in there to knock me out?"

She smiled at him in a faint and somewhat lost manner. "Yeah. I put it on your wound. At least you don't have to suffer with the horrible taste."

"Good," muttered the boy as his eyes started to close. His arm was numb by that point and he could feel the pull of the drug drawing him into sleep.

"Not really," replied the girl after he passed out. "We're in real trouble. Shino and I might be able to repel another attack, but...then what?"

Shino nodded. "We'll be fine. Between your eyes and my insects, we shouldn't be surprised. This worries me though. Kurenai's last words were for us to abandon the mission. I do not look forward to relaying her message to Asuma, but I feel it is something we should do."

The girl hugged her torso and shivered. "What's our plan then?" She didn't look afraid, just a bit disturbed.

"Well, we go back the way we came. Odiri shouldn't be that hard to convince. There are no bodies here, but we don't need to explain the particulars. We've lost our Jounin to an attack, and we were ordered to return to Konohagakure. That's all we need to tell him." Shino gave a small sigh. "We'll have to be careful, but I think we can make it."

Hinata looked at the tent. "We won't make it. Not for three nights. I don't have enough gas to keep Akamaru knocked out. He'd have been in that fight if I hadn't done it. If we lose Akamaru, I'm betting we'll lose Kiba. It's a three day trip, and there's no guarantee they'll respect Whirlpool's borders."

The ninja arched his eyebrow. "What do you suggest?"

"The one who can do the most damage remains. I'll distract them while you get Odiri and Kiba back to Konohagakure." The girl looked over at him. "It's the only chance we've got."

"We're not leaving you here alone," said Shino as he puffed himself up and looked stern.

"I don't plan on dying," replied the girl. She looked away from him.

"Y-you're serious aren't you?" Once again he was surprised. "What's gotten into you?"

The kunoichi looked at him. "I'm afraid that I'll spend the rest of my life in fear. I can't do that. I'll keep them distracted, make a big mess, and meet up with you back at the village."

He didn't look impressed. "How do you plan on doing that exactly? Just a moment ago you were saying we wouldn't last three days."

"No. All of us couldn't hold a defensive position for three nights in this place. You and I would likely have survived, but we'd lose everyone else before we escaped." She looked thoughtful. "I should be able to stir up trouble and keep them occupied for a bit."

"You're pretty confident. It's really weird, but I can't say it's not an improvement. I have to admit though, it's got me a little worried. Since when are you this cocky? Take these things on alone for three days?" Shino actually raised his voice a little. "Who are you kidding? I saw what you did, but it wasn't that impressive. We don't know how many of these things there are."

The girl nodded. "In order to end this, I only have to kill one. Trouble is, he's likely to be hard to get to."

"Huh?" Shino was confused out of his rising temper. "What do you mean?"

"Destroy the one who made a vampire, and you destroy all those he has made. It becomes something of a chain reaction if you kill the right one. A few of his older and more powerful children might survive, but it will clear up an infestation if there is one. We may have slain quite a few tonight, depending on how many this group has turned." Hinata glanced at him. "I found it in an old scroll about Vampires. It's been accurate up to now. At least I know Uzumaki isn't a vampire. He's different from these things somehow. There are scrolls for all sorts of things in the library at the Academy. Werewolves, Kappa, Dragons, Demons..."

Shino turned his head away from her. "Dragons? Do you really think we might run into a dragon?"

"Are you going to tell me you still don't believe in monsters?" she replied dryly.

He hung his head a little. "You've got a point."

"You've gotten pretty talkative," commented Hinata.

"You've gotten pretty brave. I'm not leaving you. You're not in your right mind, and I'm not so sure you won't go back to how you used to be once you're off on your own." He looked at the treeline.

The girl frowned at him. "I won't. I'll make them suffer, for Kurenai sensei."

He saw the anger in her eyes. "Even more reason to say no."

"You've got no choice," she replied. "I'm going the other way tomorrow. You've got orders and you can't follow me. Kiba won't make it, he's injured. Even with Akamaru helping him out, he can't get Odiri to the border. He needs help escaping more than that Noble does. You do your duty."

"Revenge won't bring her back," said Shino as he became firm again.

"I'm not doing it for revenge. I'm angry at them, but you and I both know damn well that the two of us are the only ones with any hope of surviving that trip. It's the only way to complete our mission. You haven't got enough blessed water left to do it yourself. There was a temple in that last town we passed through, get more from there before you pass. I'm sure they'll oblige you as much as you wish. I'm going, you're not." She walked away from him and looked out into the night for signs of trouble.

Shino was frustrated. She was right, there wasn't much he could do. "You realize you're going rogue? Hinata, you could get into a lot of trouble if this goes wrong. You might even become a Missing Nin."

She glanced back at him with a stern look on her face. "I don't care. I'm looking out for my team." She turned away. "Stop looking at me that way. I know you want to do it yourself. Don't think I don't know I was just the one who said it first."

He nodded. "It's surprising. It's got me a bit worried. If one of us is to die, it should be me. Like you said, I'm getting low on blessed water. I may only be of limited use. We'll have to survive at least one more night to make it back to that town."

She didn't look at him again and scanned the trees. "See, there's the problem. You know you'll die. Besides, you are better suited to defend against them than attack. I killed more, but none of them got close to you."

"And you don't?" he replied.

"I told you already, I don't plan on dying." She put her hands behind her head and looked up at the stars. "That makes me the better choice."

"I'm not sure if I believe you, but it worries me either way," Shino gave a small sigh. He wanted to say more, but left it at that. She seemed to want solitude. He could understand that, they had both lost someone important to them. Kurenai was dead, and it hadn't quite sunk in for any of them yet. He found himself having to force his eyes away from that part of the forest. It would be dangerous if he lost track of himself looking at it.

OooOOooOO

"I see," Odiri had a frown on his face. "So, we are to return to Konohagakure? Our mission has failed?" He was a tall thin man with blond hair and a small curled mustache. He looked very serious, the most any of the young ninja had seen him. He had been kind of a pain before. He was unused to the outdoors, and prone to complaining. He also talked quite a bit, most of it bragging about places he'd been and comforts he had at home. He had just woken up, Kiba was sitting with his good arm around Akamaru's neck. The dog kept trying to put his nose into his stump, and he had to push him off to keep him away from it. The animal whimpered a bit, and the Nobleman smiled at him. "Chin up. We'll be all right."

The boy was on mild painkillers. "I'll be fine. Just, don't bug me. I'm in a bad mood because of it."

Shino gave a sigh and shook his head. "We'll be leaving shortly. The sun is up, and we'll be safe enough till nightfall. I'm afraid we won't be getting much sleep. We can't travel at night, but we must be on guard. That is the most likely time for an attack."

Hinata was standing next to the flap of the tent and looking out across the grass.

Kiba noticed it and frowned. "Whats with her?"

Shino looked away. "Don't worry about it. We've got a long trip."

The injured boy frowned. "Hey. It sounds like you don't want to say something. What's up?"

"I'm not coming with you," replied Hinata simply. She didn't look back at them and seemed calm.

"What?" said Kiba and Odiri at the same time.

Shino crossed his arms. "We won't make it without a distraction. Hinata and I talked about it last night. I don't like it, but she's right. We've got to leave someone here to try and keep their attention while the rest of us slip away. They'll be after us when night falls again."

"We can't leave her!" snarled Kiba as he jumped up. "It's not the ninja way to leave people behind."

"Yes it is," replied the girl simply. "We do what we must to complete our mission. Kurenai sensei's last order to us is to return to Konohagakure with Odiri. We won't make it if we try to hold out for three nights. They will wear us down and kill us one by one. This is our only option. As ninja, we must do our duty. Mine, is to remain behind and keep them away from you as best I can. I've got the best chance of surviving and making it back on my own out of the three of us."

"It sounded like you planned a bit more than that," replied Shino with a small snort.

"I cannot bear such a shame! I shall not leave without this young lady! Do you have any idea what people would say if they found out I left a teenage girl behind in a place like this?" Odiri was wide eyed and slack jawed. "You must return with us, one of the others should remain if that is our only course."

"Yeah, kind of," muttered Kiba in a sort of half agreement. Akamaru barked and wagged his tail violently.

"I'm not asking permission," replied the girl as she walked out. "I'll see you back in Konohagakure. There's no reason for me to wait any longer."

"Hey! Wait!" cried Kiba as he started after her. He almost ran into Shino.

The taller boy adjusted his glasses. "Heh. She's gotten interesting. It's a shame she's leaving now."

"Get out of the way!" snarled Kiba as he waved his arm at him.

"No. I like this as much as you do, but Hinata is the one with the best chance of surviving. My supply of blessed water is getting low, I wouldn't last long enough to do us much good. You've lost an arm, and Akamaru is useless against this kind of enemy." He looked at the exit. "Hinata stays, I won't hear any argument from either of you. If I have to tie him up and drag him by force, I'm taking Odiri back to Konohagakure."

The Nobleman looked frustrated and crossed his arms. "It seems I have been forced to abandon the young lady. I'll have no part of any blame if anything happens to her."

Shino scowled, but the man couldn't tell because of his glasses and coat. "Your honor will remain intact. I'm the acting leader of this team for now. It's my decision, and I'll take full responsibility."

Odiri still didn't look pleased, but relented. "Very well. I'll not hear a word of this spoken to anyone else. Abandoning a girl in a place like this? It's shameful!"

Kiba was snarling a little, but was getting annoyed with Odiri as well. He was more worried about covering his ass than he was about Hinata. He had little doubt that if the man ever spoke of it, he'd be telling others they had to beat him and tie him up to get him to leave the poor girl on her own. He looked at Shino. "I don't like this. Hinata is acting weird, I don't like just leaving her."

Shino nodded. "I know. We've got no other choice. She made it clear that she was leaving whether any of us liked it or not last night. There's nothing I can really do to stop her, we can't carry her back by force. We'll have our hands full as it is. She refused her orders and we must still follow them."

OooOOooOO

Tayuya scowled at the boy in front of her. "What?" She was wearing an apron and had a serving tray in her hands in a small restaurant on the main street of Konoha.

Sasuke was sitting in one of the booths with his hands folded in front of his face. "Shouldn't you smile at customers?"

The girl leaned in and pointed at his face. "I hate you. I'm only here because I have to be. This is my 'work release job'. I can't quit, and I also can't get fired short of burning the place down. Then I'd be back in my cell at least, so I'm considering it. What are you doing here again? Thinking of having my ass mounted on your wall?"

He shrugged and turned his eyes towards her. "That's not a bad idea. You are my first catch, even if you are a bit small."

The redhead snarled. "I knew it. You're just here to stare at my ass again, you pervert. Stop dropping by."

"I was coming here long before you showed up," replied the boy. "They make good tea, and the gyoza isn't bad. It was better before you started working here because it was quiet."

The owner walked up with a smile on his face. He was a kind looking old man with a balding head and a thick bushy mustache. "Ah. Sasuke! It's been a while since I've seen you. How are things?"

The boy nodded at him and didn't smile. "I've been working a lot lately."

The man nodded. "Yes. We're all quite proud of you. Not the boy who used to come up here and eat his own weight in dried squid snacks anymore eh?" He gave a chuckle and walked away.

Sasuke looked annoyed and a little flushed.

Tayuya had an evil smirk on her face. "So, let's say two hundred fifty bags of dried squid then?" She pulled out her notepad and looked ready to take his order. "Would you like that to go? I'd like that a lot more, because you'd be fucking gone."

"Just some unsweetened cold tea, to go." He glanced at her. "I've got the day off today, so if you sweeten it just to be a twat, I'm going to sit here for a good long time and drink it. Get it right, and I'll just leave."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're a prick. Take your stupid order and get lost."

OooOOooOO

Sasuke Uchiha was leaning against a wall with a small frown on his face. He was in the shadows of Konoha with his unsweetened iced tea in his hand. It was his day off, and he just wanted to be out of his home for a bit. He did it on occasion, and used the opportunity to train his stealth skills. He was out of sight but just off a main road, people were walking by and chatting. He half payed attention to what they were saying. There were a couple of people talking about the Hyuuga having difficulties with the Hokage over something. No one seemed aware of exactly what, and it was mostly assumed that the clan had a bit of difficulty adjusting to the new Hokage. It seemed to be settling down, and people were relieved by that. It was the only thing that had caught his attention for a time, but a group of three men started by. One of them was a Hyuuga, and he had a large grin on his face that seemed unpleasant. He was the tallest of the three and had long dark hair that hung to the middle of his back. All three of them were dressed in police uniforms.

"I'm going to make that bitch squeal. Heh." commented the Hyuuga as he appeared to be boasting with his friends. "I'm so lucky to have gotten this assignment."

The other pair looked a bit nervous about that. One of them was a blond man who had a smirk before his friend's comment. The other was a short man with short cut black hair and a stocky build. The shorter one spoke up. "I don't know about that. I mean, you could..."

The Hyuuga gave a snort. "Get in trouble? The bitch is a prisoner of war. I can do anything and no one will care."

The blond man nodded. "He has a point. I say she deserves it. Sound scum."

The shorter man cocked his head and gave a small sigh. "I see. I heard she was one of the ninja who attempted to assassinate the Hokage. I suppose there's no harm in it. I met her once, and she's a real bitch too. That mouth of hers was downright unladylike."

The Hyuuga looked pretty smug about it. "Yeah. I'm the one responsible for keeping an eye on her. I say the word, and they'll lock her back in a tiny cell. I've got my own personal toy for a while. If she resists, I'll kill her and say she tried to escape."

The Uchiha boy narrowed his eyes. He'd kept up with the conversation from behind, following after them as they walked by. He'd heard enough and let them go. A moment later he was leaning against the wall again as before, he sipped at his tea again and scratched the side of his head. After a moment of thought he shrugged and sipped at his drink, continuing to watch people go by on the street.

OooOOooO

It was early evening. Inside a small run down shack in Konohagakure a rather unpleasant scene played out. "You heard me bitch. Take your clothes off. Now. You want me to throw you into a cell?"

Tayuya scowled as she stood up and glared at the ninja before her. "No." The pair were facing off in the small shack the girl now lived in. "I'm not going to do that." She was by a small wooden table in the main room, there was a small bedroom and another door to a toilet and small shower behind her.

"We'll see," said the Hyuuga with a scowl on his face. "I'll get what I want. I could just kill you, say you were trying to escape and I caught you in the act. It would be easy, and no one would question it."

The girl shrugged. "Go ahead, fucktard. I could care less. You think I want to live in this little slice of fucking hell you've given me? Fuck off. Kill me and be done with it. I'm already dead."

The man snarled. "You bitch. I'll make you show some respect!"

"I wouldn't recommend moving, if you want to keep your head." A soft voice spoke up as the man froze in his tracks. Sasuke was standing beside him with his sword across the man's throat.

A little blood dripped down the man's throat and he backed away with wide eyes. "Who? ANBU? What are...?" He narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't matter. This is police jurisdiction. You've got no say in the matter." He stood up tall and frowned at him. "You should leave now. I could have you in chains for what you have done as it is. Assaulting an officer and interrupting the performance of his duties."

Tayuya was standing behind her chair and gripping it, her face had gone red and her eyes bloodshot. "What the fuck are you doing here? Asshole! Get lost! I don't need your help!"

"Shut up," replied the boy in a calm and quiet tone. "I'm not here to help you. I overheard what this coward was planning while he was running his mouth about it on the street."

She seethed and seemed to grind her teeth as she became angrier. "So fucking what? I told you I don't want your help. Let him kill me! It will be a fucking relief!"

The man smirked at the young ninja. "You're not wanted here. Get lost. There's nothing you can do, even as an ANBU, you can't touch me. No one will believe you if she doesn't speak up, and I doubt that will happen. She's pretty angry, maybe she even wants it? What do you care? Isn't part of your job killing Sound Ninja?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Actually, I do have the authority to kill you. I am a hand of the Hokage. I have more than enough to justify my case. I would have to report my reasons to her, and that would be the end of it. I'll remind you she's a woman and doesn't approve of this sort of behavior at all."

The man snarled. "What? Boy, you don't know what it is you are messing with. I'm on the police force. We look out for our own." He took a combat ready stance and narrowed his eyes. "If you fight back, it will only add to the charges against you."

Sasuke shook his head. "Well, there is that. Plus, my team has had issues with the Hyuuga recently. Wouldn't want to compound the problem." He rubbed on his chin.

Tayuya tossed a plate at him and the boy ducked. It was metal and bounced off the wall behind him. "Yeah. So get lost, you fucking pervert!"

Sasuke cocked his head at that. "I think my old boss was a bad influence on me." He couldn't honestly deny that charge as he'd ended up at the Fox Den after overhearing the plot to try to calm himself down a little and mull over what to do about it, if anything.

"You're not taking me seriously?!" roared the man in anger as he realized the ANBU wasn't paying attention to him.

"Stop."

The man froze as men started to walk into the room from the door behind him. The chief of police was glaring at him with the Byakugan in a very stern look. "I think I've seen about enough." He turned to Sasuke. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention." He then looked at the man again and gave a cruel looking smirk. "I just saved your life. He was right, he does have the authority to eliminate you without involving us, and if he had we never would have found your body."

"S-sir!" stammered the man in shock. "I...I..." He had gone very pale and closed his mouth to swallow hard.

Sasuke started to walk away. "Well, I'll let you handle it then."

"I didn't want your help!" snapped Tayuya at him.

"He's a bad cop, and I want him off the streets of Konoha. This is my home, and I can't trust scum like this to protect it." He passed the Police Chief and walked into the night. "I could give a shit about a bad tempered brat like you."

"Fucking prick!" snarled Tayuya. "Stay the hell away from me!"

The Police Chief frowned at her. "You should show more gratitude."

She scowled at him. "For what? He's the reason I'm stuck here like this in the first place. You want me to thank him for capturing me? Fuck off old man. I'd rather just have you assholes execute me and be done with it."

He sighed and shook his head as the men with him took the stammering soon to be former cop into custody. He turned and left the home. "Why not just end it yourself?"

She turned her head and glared at the wall. "I'm too much of a coward."

The man nodded. "Maybe that's how you ended up here? You shouldn't blame us for that."

Her head snapped around and the door closed just in time to have a vase shatter against it. "You prick!"

OooOOooO

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tayuya scowled at the boy standing in her doorway the next morning. It was nearing afternoon, but he'd woken her up anyway. Her new job kept her up late and she slept through most of the day. The prisoner was not very pleased at having an early visitor as it was. Who it was just made things worse.

Sasuke looked annoyed. "You're my prisoner. When I got rid of that cop, responsibility for you fell into my lap again. I have to keep an eye on you until the mess is cleared up and they can assign someone else to watch you. Shouldn't be more than a few days or so."

"What?" said the girl as her eyes went wide.

"Relax. I just have to pop in sometimes and make sure you're were you're supposed to be. I don't plan on talking to you if I can help it." He crossed his arms and didn't look pleased. "It's annoying, and my job takes up quite a bit of my time. I don't like this either. I might not have done it if I'd realized how much trouble it was going to be."

"In other words, you'll be popping in all the fucking time, staring at my ass, and watching me shower and shit, while stroking your tiny deformed penis in the dark where I can't see you?" She looked livid.

He seemed to think about that. "Yeah." He nodded and shrugged. "It's only temporary. I'm going to make sure someone else gets stuck with dealing with you as fast as I can manage, believe me."

She slugged him across his jaw. "No way! It's not worth it! Kill me, because I'm not going to stand for it! I'll kill you if you don't!" She screamed and dove at him.

"Do you ever shut up?" he groused as he sidestepped with his hands in his pockets. "It sucks for both of us. I don't like you either. You're a foul mouthed bad tempered twat."

"You're an emotionless dip shit and you look like a friggin girl!" she responded as she dove at him again.

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms up to catch her as she dove. "Knock it off, will ya?" He craned his neck as she attempted to headbutt and bite him. "I'm just gonna go until you calm down. Later."

She jerked one hand free from his grip and snapped at his face with her teeth. Sasuke couldn't dodge in time and she clamped down on his bottom lip. His grunt of pain was muffled by her face as she managed to get her other hand free and push against his shoulders. Her teeth scraped against his lip as she pulled back, but nothing came off. He was left with a bloody lip and a surprised expression on his face. He'd actually gotten off easy considering what she'd done. "Ouch!" He cried after she pulled away with an angry snarl on her face. "That hurt you cunt!" He had managed to get a hold of her wrists again and she pulled and tugged lightly to try and free her hands again. "You bitch, you bit me!"

Tayuya jabbed her head at him again and stepped on his foot as she did so, preventing him from backing off to dodge. His grip had gone loose again and she pulled her hands free, wrapping them over his shoulders as she turned her head a little. Sasuke put his hands on her sides and didn't push her off, mostly because she had her tongue in his mouth.

The girl broke off and snarled again. "Did you like that? Because it isn't..."

He put his finger over her lips and looked at her with a bit of a daze in his eyes. "Look. I've got a thing for red hair, so just shut the hell up and keep going." He kissed her again.

She broke off and turned her eyes away from him with a blush on her cheeks. "Fair enough. I'm not a virgin. Don't go expecting me to be all giggly and shit. I can tell already you're going to be a shitty lay. I'm just horny, so don't go thinking..."

"My old boss owns a brothel," he replied with a shrug. "I get services there for free, whenever I want."

"What?" The girl got wide eyed. "No way you're a bigger slut than me!"

Sasuke leaned in and whispered into her ear. "That sounds like a challenge."

She narrowed her eyes and dug her nails into his back as she bit into his shoulder a little. "Oh, it was, lightweight." The started ripping each other's clothes off as they stumbled towards the bedroom.

OooOOooO

Sasuke froze up for a moment as he walked out of the girl's home or prison, depending on the point of view. It was late, and the only person on the street was a shadowy figure leaning against a lamp post. "Naruto." His eyes went a little hard.

The figure turned his head and seemed amused. "I'm not going to scold you, don't worry. Though, considering the circumstances, it could be trouble if word got out."

"I'd vouch for him. I hate his guts, but it would be more trouble for me to get involved with something like that. I'm in no position to..." Tayuya walked out and seemed to realize they were both surprised. "I'm a trained ninja too you know. My chakra might be sealed, but I'm still not stupid, or weak. I noticed him stop outside suddenly."

Naruto nodded. "My point exactly. You're in no position to vouch for him. The Hyuuga might not take it well. We don't need to be stepping on their toes." He seemed amused as he settled back down to leaning on the post. "You two do make the cutest couple. Just be aware of what you might be doing to yourself, Sasuke. I think you can stay out of sight, but don't get caught this way again."

Tayuya's eye twitched. "What the fuck did you say you little..."

Sasuke crossed his arms and turned his head away. "Do you have a point? I can handle myself."

The hooded ninja chuckled. "Yeah. I wanted to talk to you. I could care less about this, I'm just offering a little advice. There are people who would welcome the chance to accuse you of the same crime you prevented earlier. Try to avoid giving them the opportunity. As for why I'm here? I want to talk to you, about Itachi."

Sasuke's eyes went dark and he scowled at him. "What's to talk about?"

Tayuya was annoyed, but seemed to realize that she had no reason to be interested in the conversation and went back inside her home. "Don't hang out in front of my place," she snapped at them both.

Sasuke and Naruto looked back at the door as it closed and started walking away down the empty street.

The hooded ninja kept his voice down and his head low. "Plenty. You can have him, but he's involved with something that effects Shadow Realm. That's stepping on my toes." Naruto glanced at his former teammate. "I want you to keep me informed about anything you might find about him. I'll return the favor. I've been hearing things about this 'Akatsuki' but nothing that can tell me who they are or what they are doing. I've learned a little though, it's supposedly a group of very powerful missing nin. I found mention of it in the intelligence we gathered from Orochimaru's base. I'm pretty sure that Orochimaru was a member of this group, but he attacked Itachi and was expelled. Since then, your brother has been partnered with Kisame Hoshigake, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. There are several other teams and they travel in pairs. Also, I've heard they are unusually diverse for a terrorist group. The members are not from a single country."

Sasuke seemed to calm a little. "Isn't some of that classified?"

Naruto hung his head a little. "My loyalty is not to Konohagakure. Besides, you're an ANBU and my tattoo doesn't seem to think telling you is off limits." He rubbed at his arm a little as he said it.

The dark haired boy gasped. "Wh-what?" He balled up his fist and stared him down. "That's treason. You..."

His former leader shook his head and chuckled. "Don't be stupid. I'm my own side in this. I have been since I signed my life away to Tomamo. I'm not committing treason because I'm the leader of one of Konohagakure's largest allies. I'm not a Konohagakure ninja anymore. I'm training this team, and then I'm finished. I won't be remaining here in the village. Though, I'm not planning on sitting on a throne and kicking my heels up either."

"You're going rogue? You'd be a missing nin if you did that," Sasuke seemed almost amused and a bit cocky.

"Huh? Nah. No way I'll end up a missing nin. We'll be seeing each other around I think, if only when I come back to visit. Part of it is being a diplomat after all. Tsunade doesn't want to upset us, we're useful allies and I have a particular attachment to this place. It is home after all. Not to mention, I've got a good political relationship with the Damiyo."

"I think I get it," Sasuke seemed to think for a moment. "You've been talking about this with her, haven't you?"

The blond seemed to think on that. "Pretty much. Something is going on that's bigger than Orochimaru could handle. He got in over his head, tried to screw them over for his own benefit and got burned. Your brother and his partner are currently the only real leads we've got right now. I'd also like to put this situation with Sound to rest before I get too far into that if I can. Tsunade knows I can't stay if I'm going to be king. She hasn't said anything so direct, but I'm not stupid and I've caught the hint. We're too useful and powerful as allies to not just let me go, and we have a common enemy. I don't think this Akatsuki group is going to be received well by the Ninja villages, they're considered a terrorist group by pretty much everyone from the sound of things."

"What is my brother involved with?" asked Sasuke.

"I just spent the past couple of minutes explaining to you that I'd very much like to hear that myself. If you find anything out, let me know." Naruto hung his head a little.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes a little. "Next time just say so."

Naruto gave a small sigh. "I did, but apparently the blood you were using for your penis a few minutes ago hasn't arrived back to your brain yet." The blond popped his arm. "That good, huh? Weird. She's bitchy and has a nasty temper. Not to mention, she's a prisoner of war, and that's risky. Seems like the sort of trouble you'd avoi...never mind. I almost forgot who I was talking to for a moment." He chuckled and looked up at the stars with his arms crossed.

Sasuke shrugged. "She doesn't talk much, she's direct, likes to be left alone mostly, and she bathes regularly."

Naruto cocked his eyebrow and leaned back. "Been keeping an eye on that have we? Don't think I haven't noticed you've developed a taste for red hair. I expect you'll be doing it again then?"

"Yes. I'm pretty sure I will." He shrugged at him, he was also a little annoyed. He seemed to catch the hint that Naruto was telling him, 'I shouldn't have been able to catch you like this, you should have known better' by teasing him about it. It was a bit annoying. "I screwed your Aunt."

Naruto cocked his head. "Huh. She must have been pretty hard up. She kept trying to have lesbian sex with me in Kumogakure. I got the impression she didn't care much for men at all. Her little girlfriend was fun though."

Sasuke pulled his head back a bit in surprise. "Wait. You stole your Aunt's girlfriend?"

The blond shook his head. "More like 'borrowed'. She was trying to use her friend to help seduce me a little as well, so she kinda asked for it. To be honest, the impression I got is that the entire political scene pretty much works that way normally. There was quite a bit of screwing going on in that village, some literal, some not."

Sasuke seemed to understand the reasoning. "Oh. I guess I see what you mean." He seemed to drop the subject immediately after getting a grasp of it. "So, what does that make us exactly? Last I checked, you were still a Leaf Jounin."

His former team leader looked up at him with a dangerous looking smirk. "Shadow and Fire are allies, but I am the King of Shadow Realm. I cannot split my loyalty. I'll not harm Konoha or Fire, but I will not choose them over my people. However, at the moment, I am still a Konohagakure ninja. I will remain one until I leave the village for good."

Sasuke frowned at him and nodded. "Heh. So that's it. Hokage figured you out and booted you off the team?"

The blond nin nodded and seemed amused. "That's about the size of it, yeah."

The dark haired nin glanced over his shoulder at his former boss. "What's Shadow Realm's interest in my brother? I get why you're after him. You specifically said Shadow Realm has an interest though." He didn't look back as he asked.

Naruto cocked his eyebrow a little, perhaps he was paying more attention than he'd originally thought. He knew Sasuke wasn't really stupid, he did get the top grades amongst the boys in the class. He also knew him well enough to realize that little detail wouldn't have caught his attention normally. "I've reason to believe they were after the Queen. I want to find out why. We're less interested in Itachi than we are in this organization he's in. Like I said, you can have him when you're ready. I need to know what he was up to, and what it has to do with my wife."

Sasuke seemed surprised. "Huh? Why not let them have her? I mean, she is a giant monster who tricked you into marrying her. You have to protect her son and all, but why save her?"

The blond cocked his head. "She's a total babe. Seriously, mega hot. Being evil just makes it better. I'm not so bad off with this deal as a lot of people seem to think. Plus, she can do this thing with her tongue..."

The dark haired boy seemed to think about that. "I guess that's a good reason. All right, I'll keep you informed if I find anything out. You seem to know a lot more about it than I do. Thanks for the info." He put his hands in his pockets and walked away. He frowned a little as he found himself strolling alone. "He's right. I can't get caught, at least not anytime soon." He glanced over his shoulder and didn't have a hard time admitting to himself that he was indeed going to do it again. She wasn't all talk and knew what she was doing. He could tell she was enjoying it, but she didn't smile. He found that appealing for reasons he didn't fully understand.

OooOOooO

Shino frowned as he looked at Kiba. The boy was struggling to his feet, covered in sweat, and gasping for breath. His wound wasn't infected, but he was severely weakened. He'd lost a bit of blood and was still adjusting to the loss of his arm. Akamaru whimpered at him a little and sat down.

They were in a small town inside a temple. Shino had filled several containers with blessed water. He was now lugging around several gallons worth. "Kiba, get back in bed." They had spent a couple of hours there with the priests of the temple. They were glad to help and were familiar with the problem that plagued Whirlpool. It was clear they wanted the group gone before nightfall.

"Huh? We've got to get moving. We can't..." growled the boy as he leaned against the wall.

"You're too weak to continue. You're staying here," replied Shino before he finished.

"What? No way! I'm..." Kiba raised his voice but couldn't yell.

Shino looked at the worried priest. He was a bald old man with a beard in a simple brown robe. "You'll be fine with him. They are after the man I'm guarding and won't bother with him. Take care of him until he's well enough to return to Konohagakure."

The priest gave a small frown but nodded. "I understand."

"Don't be stupid I'm..." grumbled Kiba as he staggered forward.

Shino shoved him in the chest and sent him back into the bed. Akamaru ignored it and panted looking passive. "Shut up. You're slowing us down. I can defend the two of us long enough to make it now that I have enough water. You're a dead weight right now. You'll stay here."

Kiba floundered in the sheets and ended up on his knees on the ground. "How dare you! I'll..."

His teammate looked down at him through his sunglasses. "You're no good to us dead, Kiba. Right now you're no good in a fight and you can barely walk."

He pounded his fist on the ground and sobbed. "I know...but..."

Shino gave a sigh. "I understand, and I know you do as well. Stay here. Once you are well enough, return to Konoha. I'll be there when you arrive. Our mission comes before our pride."

The dog trainer didn't lift his head up, but gave a solemn looking nod. "Y-yeah."

Shino turned away. "I'll collect my other companion and be on my way. Please, take care of him."

The priest helped the boy back into the bed. "Don't worry too much, it shouldn't be more than a few days. Whoever dressed your wound knew what they were doing. I doubt you have to worry much about an infection."

"It was the same bitch that cut it off to begin with," grumbled Kiba irritably as he let the old man help him.

That got an odd look from the priest. "Well. I suppose it could have been worse. Trust me, infection is not the way a young man like yourself should like to die. There is no honor in it, and it is very slow and painful."

The young ninja looked at his stump. "Yeah. I'm grateful."

OooOOooO

Hinata looked down at the street with a cold stare. Behind her the moon was rising over the ocean of grass. She was on the edge of the broken capitol of Whirlpool. It had once been a grand place, but now it was a shithole. Spread out before her were a thousand broken down hovels, taverns and shops in disrepair, and empty broken streets full of garbage that had not seen repair in many years. She was under a cloak that blew in the wind behind her. The wind was strong, but it didn't stray too far from her body because it was weighed down by the arms hidden within it. The inside was covered in small compartments and loops for various weaponry. Every Konoha ninja owned one, though most used it as little more than protection from the weather.

In the daylight hours it was a haven for missing nin, criminals, and scum. In the evening, the streets were barren. She was on the roof of an old inn just inside the gates to the capitol. She had bought a room inside, but wasn't about to stay there. Several of the patrons had given her looks that made it clear that she wasn't safe there. There was little doubt someone would come sneaking into the room looking for trouble in the night. In a place like that a young and soft looking girl traveling alone was a target too good to pass up.

She didn't care. She wouldn't be there and she was not there to bring law and order to criminals and perverts. She hunted something much darker that night.

Her face betrayed no emotion as she looked out over the streets in her cloak. She knew why they were all but empty. She could see them, her eyes were more than those of the peasants who hid in their homes and the thugs that cowered in the bars and inns. They were in the shadows, marked by their red chakra. Hunting in the darkness for any who might stray into the night.

There were about fifteen around the entrance to the town. It was the place where unaware travelers were most likely to appear. She didn't know their habits and didn't understand that, but realized that there was an unusually large grouping of them around the outside of the inn.

"Best get started then," she jumped down to the middle of the street and landed in a crouch in the center of a large grouping.

They all noticed her at once and looked surprised as she stood up in the middle of them. The things circled and began to close in around her.

The hood cocked a little and she put one of her arms up opening the cloak. "Could we get started. It's a long night, but I don't have that much time really."

"Who the hell are you?" growled one of them as it backed away looking cautious.

"Just some kid," replied another.

One of the beasts sniffed the air. "She smells young and sweet. Rare."

"How lucky for us," agreed another.

"A bit small for all of us though," growled one of the larger beasts.

Hinata was motionless through all of this. "Are you finished talking? If you're so hungry, come and get me."

The cautious one backed away further as the others moved in. "Hunter," it muttered as it slipped away.

The rest roared and became more monstrous in appearance as they moved in ever closer to the girl. It was obvious that they though she was unaware of what she had encountered.

"Not so brave now are you?" chuckled one of the things as leered at her through its fangs. It's face had become wrinkled and inhuman looking.

"Brave?" she asked as she turned her hood towards it. "I'm getting impatient. You're all too slow and this is taking longer than I wanted it to."

"I don't sense any fear, something is..." muttered one of them.

"Yes, you are all within the field of my Hakke," replied the girl. She bent low and spread her arms with a kunai in each hand. "It is already over."

One of the vampires gave a small gasp. "What?" The girl became a blur of motion and bounced from one monster to the next in an explosion of chakra driven movement. When he looked down at his chest he saw a delicate hand smudged with ash gripping a kunai knife that was driven into his chest.

"And so it begins," she said as she pulled her hand back as he vanished and crumbled into a pile of smoldering dust. She turned and looked towards the palace at the center of the broken city.

OooOOooOO

The palace throne was lit by torches hanging from the wall. A pale skinned man with long dark hair sat with a bored expression on his face. The body of a young woman crumpled to the floor before the throne. Her skin was tight and she looked almost mummified. He looked no more than fifty and had a goatee that brushed the top of his chest as he lounged in his seat.

A figure who stayed out of the torchlight as he walked onto the worn red carpet in front of him spoke up. "Killed another have you? I halfway expected you to make a pawn out of this one. She was prettier than most."

The figure on the throne gave a snort. "Too many mouths to feed as it is. Tell me, Idan, do you grow tired of this existence?"

The man in the shadows growled a little. "I didn't come to have a boring conversation. You've got a problem. A hunter, unusually powerful."

The vampire didn't look worried. "So go and deal with er then. I'll not be bothered."

The shadow gave a rough snort. "I'm not your subject. We're partners. Deal with it yourself." He hefted a weapon over his shoulder. "I only came to warn you because it was the last request of this one before he died." The shadow's arm moved and a head rolled into the torchlight. It was a vampire head and looked horrified.

"Must you do this to my children?" grumbled the seated vampire.

"Like you said, too many mouths. It's not like a lazy old fart like you cares anyway. Listening you talk about how fucking boring everything is bores me even more."

"You'll understand soon enough," grumbled the vampire. "Such slaughter loses its entertainment value after a few centuries. I'm opeful you'll get more creative soon."

"I'll kill you before you get to see it," grumbled Idan as he turned away.

OooOOooO

Hinata opened the twelve foot doors before her with a simple push and walked forward with a frown on her face. Two sets of armor clattered to the floor in her wake as they became filled with ash. She walked forward and looked around. She was covered in dust and a small cloud was produced by her cloak with every movement she made. "I did not expect to make it this far in only one evening." Her eyes settled on the throne.

"I probably should ave said something to my guard. Owever, I was too lazy to bother." The thing on the throne stood up and dusted off its long dark cloak. "I ad a meal this evening, but it was smaller than usual. I suppose I could go with a snack."

Hinata narrowed her eyes and set herself with her weapons ready.

Behind her was an open balcony with a man seated on the railing looking on. He was ignoring them and looking up at the moonlight with some sort of weapon over his shoulder.

"Idan, you are not going to join us?" asked the creature.

"Fuck off. Deal with it yourself," grumbled the man as he continued to look up at the sky.

Hinata glanced over her shoulder and frowned a little. His chakra wasn't normal, but it wasn't like that of a vampire either. She would have to be wary of him. "I've come to destroy you."

"Yes. I know," the monster rolled his eyes and looked unconcerned. "You are stronger than most. I see that. A shame you ave overreached. I am more than nine undred years old. You ave come ere to die I am afraid."

Hinata charged and slashed at him. She hooked her leg into several kicks and sliced through the air trying to hit him. He dodged with no real effort and didn't move much. He took a few steps about, but remained in near the same position.

Hinata growled and backed away a little. She wasn't expecting it to be an easy fight, but he wasn't taking much effort to dodge her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I can't be afraid. I must win!"

"You will die," said the old vampire with a heavy sigh. He didn't look very interested in the fight.

The girl set herself and moved her arms forward in a slow motion. "I shall destroy you."

"I doubt that," replied the man. "An exorcism dance? It as been a few years." He waved his hand to becon her forward. "Come then. We'll see ow well you can dance."

She moved towards him with the precise motions of years of practice. Time slowed down as she spun and waved her arms through the motions of the dance. The vampire arched and stepped aside as she moved through where he was, always one step ahead of her dance.

He looked interested after a moment. "Such skill. I've not seen such a dancer in a undred years. You are to be commended, but it is not enough."

The girl gasped and her dance ended. "You think not?"

The creature's fangs grew longer. "I'm afraid not. It grows late, and I must..."

"Yes. I know." She stepped back and put the index and middle fingers of her right hand up in front of her face. "You are within my seal, monster. I bind you. I banish you!"

The monster looked down at his feet. "I see." There were white glowing lines on the ground and he was in the middle of a mystic circle. He screamed as a pillar of light enveloped him and flexed his claws.

The thing growled as it stood before her looking monstrous. Two large wings spread from its back and its head no longer looked remotely human. Beams of light were binding its hands, neck, legs, and wings from the outer edges of the circle. "Impressive. The morning is still two ours away, and you do not ave the strength of will to old me that long."

She frowned at him and kept her hands up. "We'll see."

"This grows annoying. Idan, do you intend to do nothing but watch?" It looked back and saw the man on the balcony was gone.

Hinata gasped and took a staggering step back. Her eyes were wide and shocked.

Three blades were jutting from the vampire's chest from behind it. A younger man with gray hair was standing behind him with a look of rage in his eyes. "How many fucking times do I have to tell you? My name is Hidan you blood sucking leach!" He pulled the weapon out of the monster and hacked at its neck with his tri-bladed scythe. The thing's head rolled away and landed at Hinata's feet.

She scowled at him and readied her weapons. The vampire burned away between them.

He looked at her and gave a chuckle. "I suppose I should let you go this time. After all, I could never get that bastard to stand still long enough to kill him. It was nice of you to hold him down for me." He turned away. "Fuck. I hate leaving survivors." He started walking away and looked over his shoulder at her. "If we meet again, I'll kill you. Normally I would anyway, but he's been getting on my nerves for a long time. I have no choice but to be a little grateful this time. Fucking demon hunting bitch."

Hinata wasn't sure what to say or do. The man was less than human and evil, but he had just helped her out. She looked at the vampire's remains and then turned her eyes back at where he had gone. "I suppose I should say the same then. Until next time." She had a feeling she wasn't strong enough to take him yet anyway.

She walked over to the balcony and looked up at the moon. She did not believe that she would have been strong enough to hold the creature until morning. It had been a rash mistake on her part and she would have been destroyed before then. "It seems I have much to learn."

With that, Hinata put her leg on the balcony railing and looked up at the moon for a moment. She looked back over her shoulder at the pile of dust the monster had become and then down at the silver kunai in her grip. "For Kurenai sensei." She closed her eyes and turned to walk out of the palace again.

She paused as she looked over her shoulder back into the throne room as she walked through the doors again. "Demon hunter? Am I?" Her face became conflicted for a moment and then relaxed. "So be it." With that she vanished into the darkness again without another word.

OooOOooO

Naruto was balanced on two stacks of bricks with one hand holding a book that he was reading. He was holding himself above the ground and seemed to be putting no effort out to do it. His students were grunting and groaning around him. Each holding themselves up in a push up position by balancing on top of small stacks of bricks. Beneath each of their bellies was a candle that kept them locked in that position. "Ten more minutes to go." He said lazily as he scratched at his ear.

The trio was covered in sweat. Hanabi was scowling and had her teeth clenched together. Konohamaru looked used to the exercise, but not comfortable with it. Midori was glaring at the back of her instructor's skull with bloodshot eyes and a strip of duct-tape covered her mouth. She growled at him as he gave them an update on how long they'd been at it.

The Jonin hadn't even started teaching them about sealing their chakra. Konohamaru already knew how, but the other two weren't developed enough physically to start. They were in shape as Genin ninja of course, but it would take much less time to teach them to move again if he got them into better shape first. He seemed to notice the two girls were a bit annoyed at him over the exercise. Hanabi didn't look upset, but it was clear she didn't like her position much. "You know, this is how I learned. I won't ask you to do anything I'm not willing to do myself. I'm using the same training methods my masters used."

"Masters?" asked Hanabi as she arched her eyebrow. She struggled for a moment to keep herself upright but regained her balance.

"Yeah. I've studied under three great Masters, and well, several super perverts. That training was a little different though. You should know of Kakashi, you've probably heard of Jiraya the perverted Senin, and I'm afraid I can't tell you much about the others. They don't like it when people talk about them." Their instructor nodded and seemed cheerful.

Midori was glaring at him and looked like she'd be muttering expletives at him if she could. She was in fact, but it was muffled and silenced by the tape over her mouth. Exactly why it was there. Naruto was quite pleased with himself for thinking ahead that way.

"Time is up." Naruto glared at the candles and a small light formed in the back of his irises. A small breeze put them all out and the trio of students slumped to the ground with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Whoa! Awesome!" muttered Konohamaru.

Midori ripped the tape off her mouth and gasped. "How did you do that?"

Their leader blinked and cocked his head. "It's useful for putting out candles and lighting campfires, but that's about it. I couldn't teach you how to do that."

Hanabi gasped. She didn't know much about what happened between her father and her new master. She knew something was going on between them though. She did know her father wanted her to be on the team with him. "A new...eye?"

Naruto chuckled. "No. It's nothing like that." He gave a small sigh. "I've learned a little magic. It's no big deal. I have a lot of chakra, but very little magic potential. I can learn a few small tricks like that, but that's about all."

Midori frowned at that and didn't look to trust it much. Her mouth was a bit red from removing the tape. "Magical potential?"

Naruto nodded. "That's right. Families that specialize in Genjutsu techniques tend to have high magical potential. There are a lot of genjutsu techniques that use a lot of magical energy."

The Hyuuga girl looked confused. "You mean chakra?"

Their instructor shook his head. "No. It's different. You can use chakra to manipulate magical energy. The kitsune do this naturally for example. They don't use much chakra for their tricks and illusions. It's mostly magical energy, which is why their illusions can't be matched by human Genjutsu. Many Genjutsu techniques use chakra to manipulate magical energy to create an illusion. It's one of the reasons ninja with lower chakra are often so good at the school. Usually there is a balance between the two, those with less chakra potential are more able to use magic."

The brunette girl scowled at that. "I've never read anything like that. You just made that up."

"I believe him," said Konohamaru as he looked at her. He didn't seem upset about it.

"You would," grumbled the irate kunoichi.

"There are a lot of things in the world you won't find in that library," replied Naruto with a casual looking shrug. "It doesn't really matter if you believe me or not. I'm good at finding things out."

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh yeah? What's fifty percent of fifty?"

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

Konohamaru hung his head. "Uh oh."

Their instructor looked annoyed. "What do you mean 'uh oh'?"

The irate brunette kunoichi smirked. "Stop acting like you're so great at everything. You're not you know."

Naruto frowned at her. "So? I never said I was. What's your point? What have you got that I can't do?"

"I can tell you the answer to that problem," Midori gave him an evil smirk. "You suck at math."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. "Now look..." He glanced over at Konohamaru and noticed him stifling chuckles. "What is it?"

He looked away as he pulled his hand off. "She's totally right, bro-sensei. You're horrible at math. I failed every math test I took when I studied with you."

Their leader stiffened up. "So? I'm not an accountant. I'm a ninja, your superior, and your instructor." He growled a little and turned away from them. "All right. You all know what's next. Time to work your abs to muscle failure again." That would make him feel better. "Come on, only a thousand crunches to go, and then we can have lunch."

"Great going," grumbled Hanabi as they all started getting on their backs.

"Like we weren't going to do this anyway," replied Midori.

Konohamaru gave a heavy sigh. "I hate to say it but she's right this time, Hanabi."

OooOOooOO

Naruto had frozen in place and had his eyebrow cocked. He was holding a folder that the Hokage would treat like a dead racoon and hand it off as soon as she could. Probably to Shizune, as she stopped by to clear off the corner of the woman's desk where such busywork piled up. It was just a training report, they hadn't taken a mission that day. Genin didn't always get an assigned mission, there were stretches of several days mixed into their schedules for training purposes. Naruto had noticed that his schedule included a few more of those days than most Genin teams in the near future. The scene was not unusual, with the exception of the blue haired woman standing beside his boss's desk.

Umi smiled and waved at her nephew. "Hey."

"Um, hello. Didn't expect to see you again so soon." He shook himself out of it and seemed to brush it off. He didn't bother handing the report to the Hokage and just put it in her pile on the corner. He'd noticed she didn't like to touch training reports with her hands if she could help it.

His aunt turned away and walked towards the door. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. I'll catch up with you later, Naruto. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk."

He looked towards the woman behind the desk and found her looking at him. "Well. I suppose I should tell you that she's your next assignment."

"Huh?" muttered the boy as his eyes went blank.

The Hokage looked a bit more somber than normal that day. "Don't worry, you're on defense this time. I know you can handle it, and it will be good for your team. It's a C ranked mission, the first one for you and your team."

"What are the details?" he asked as he relaxed and crossed his arms.

"Well, I'm not handing it over to you until tomorrow. It's still being processed. Basically you're to try and make sure things go smoothly in Whirlpool. The team that went there before succeeded, but the price was high. Kurenai was killed, and Hinata is missing. We presume she's dead, but if you can find any information about what happened to her we'd like you to investigate. It was a mess, but the danger is largely passed as I understand it. The people aren't exactly upset with the fall of their government, but..."

The boy gave a nod at that. "Asuma isn't going to like that."

"He's been informed," replied the woman. "I'm giving his team a few days off so he can recover. He tried to talk me out of that, but we're not at war right now. I can do without him for a few days."

"I'll have to offer my condolences when I see him again," said the boy as he looked at her. "There are probably a few groups who won't care much for someone who isn't them sitting on top. Probably just thugs for the most part. As for Hinata, I'll keep my ears open. Hanabi may be of use with that. She'll know her sister, and may notice something I wouldn't." He paced a little as well. "Who are we protecting?"

"Lord Odiri and his Ambassador. You already know one of them," she sat back in her chair and seemed to think on it. "Shouldn't be too much trouble. The window of opportunity is small in a situation like this. Once things settle down a bit, Odiri should be safe. Whirlpool hasn't had ninja since the last great war, and there isn't much incentive for the other clans to take action against it. Having things settled quickly and one more chaotic region stabilize is good for everyone. Water Country is a good example in recent times."

"Not the friendliest place though. Some might think of it as a poor example," replied Naruto. "Ninja combat may be unlikely, but it is also very possible. There are a lot of missing nin in the country. The chaos there made it something of a safe haven for them. Are you sure you want a Genin team on this one? I'll take any work you hand me, you know that. Still, this doesn't seem like the sort of situation where we should be collecting a C ranked rate. Umi isn't paying herself this time, no need to give her a break on the price. I don't mind handing this off to a team with more experience at a better rate. These kids are still green."

Tsunade gave a nod. "All right. You're half right at least." She belted her head against the desk. "I suck at this job. She talked me down." She scowled as she furrowed her brow and started grumbling unpleasant things about a certain old man. "I'm giving it to you anyway. You've got personal ties to this."

He looked away. "All the more reason for me to worry about it. I'd like to see my aunt again, but I can't let it distract me if I'm working. I'm a poor fit for this job, even if the team could do it." Umi did have a way of throwing him off and keeping his attention.

She leaned forward and chuckled. "Yeah. I know. Look, one of the reasons I'm sending you is because of this situation with Hinata."

"She thinks I'm a vampire. I may not be the best choice for that either." He hung his head as he realized he wasn't going to talk her out of it. "Hanabi may be useful, but I'm not so sure Hinata will react well to me being there."

She frowned at him and nodded. "Yes, well. You are to relieve Team Kurenai of their duty. It's time to bring them home. We've lost a lot in completing this mission."

"Yes, I will," he replied. He gave a small bow and turned to leave her office. The mission rubbed him wrong on some level. Tsunade was handing him this because it was his mess, and she wanted him to prove he could clean it up. He wouldn't have said a word if it had been his old team going with him. The genin would make things a little more difficult though. Not impossible, but he had to consider their inexperience in his plans now. He wasn't planning on failing of course, but it would take a little more thought than it might have before. He was going to have to handle the bulk of the work himself, all he'd done thus far was physical training to prepare them for the more advanced training he'd be giving them. That was a bit annoying.

OooOOooOO

Naruto strolled through a small temple in Whirlpool with his hands behind his back. The rest of his team was on the way to the palace already. He turned down a long hallway and walked through a door on the right and into a medical facility. He paused and looked around for a moment. "Kiba, Akamaru, I trust you're recovering?"

The boy had a frown on his face and was sitting with the curtains shading his features with his hood pulled over his head. "Yeah. They want me to stay another two days. I think I'm strong enough to make it back on my own. How is everyone?" He gave a humorless chuckle.

The Jounin remained serious. "Hinata is missing. She's disappeared."

The hooded boy seemed to relax as Kiba got a somewhat serious expression. He still looked weary, but certain. "She's fine. Well, not dead anyway." He looked at his only hand. "I'm pretty sure." He didn't really know how he knew that, but it was a strong gut feeling.

"Then she is a missing nin," replied Naruto simply. "I doubt she'll be classed as a criminal, but she's considered rogue at the moment. I'm not sure how that might play out to be honest. I hope she returns soon."

Kiba nodded and Akamaru gave a whine and put his head on his paws beside the bed. "And Shino?"

Naruto gave a reassuring nod. "He logged the report with the Hokage. Odiri now control's Whirlpool. Your mission succeeded."

"At what cost?" growled the boy angrily.

Naruto didn't respond for a moment. "I didn't know Kurenai. I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm here to pick you up."

Kiba looked confused. "Huh?" He tried to scratch the back of his head with his stump and winced a little. "Hey. I can make it on my own. I didn't need an escort or anything."

The hooded ninja shook his head. "No. I mean you've been temporarily reassigned to me while my team and I complete our mission here in Whirlpool. When we're finished you'll travel back with my team to Konoha."

The dog trainer cocked his head. "Say what?"

His peer in age and not in rank simply shrugged.

Kiba scowled. "Wait. If that's true, you'd have a signed order from the Hokage. I want to see it."

Naruto actually seemed to cheer up a little. "I don't need one. I'm an ANBU captain and a Jounin. I have the authority to do it on my own initiative."

The boy scowled at him and put his feet over the side of the bed. He looked groggy, but seemed to be coming out of it. "Don't you have a genin team or something now? You're a former ANBU."

"Who says we leave the ANBU when we take genin teams?" replied the hooded boy simply as he leaned against the wall. "That's just a rumor, isn't it? Or is it the other way around? Hmmm..."

"Asshole. Fine. Anything that's not just sitting here in this bed. I'm sick of it." Kiba lurched to his feet and stretched. "Ugh. I'm stiff as a board. I've been in that bed for a week." He popped his back and grunted. Akamaru was panting at his side looking a bit lazy himself. He'd been up and about as much as he could of course, but the first few days of his stay he could barely stand. He was able to move about more, but still wasn't fully recovered, and it was obvious.

Naruto uncrossed his arms and cocked his head. "Hey. I can help with that actually."

OooOOooOO

Kiba was leaning against the wall outside the room he'd been staying in. Some very loud yips, growls, and snarls were coming from inside. Naruto was leaning against the other side of the door with his arms crossed. Kiba was feeling much better and seemed to be fully awake. He did look a bit worried though. "Wow. Me...and my dog?"

The hooded ninja gave a small shrug. "Well, she is a Kitsune."

Kiba had gotten quite a massage from the violet haired girl Naruto had summoned. He was still feeling a bit flushed about how it ended. Naruto had abandoned the room and he'd found him leaning against the door as the girl transformed into a fox and started doing things to Akamaru that were making things a bit uncomfortable. He tried to shoo her off of him, but Akamaru had growled him off. He'd just ended up leaving and leaning against the wall with his temporary boss. "What's that mean?"

The other boy realized his companion had no experience with the foxes. "This sort of thing is normal. Just, don't worry about it."

The genin looked over his shoulder with wide eyes at some of the noises that were coming from inside the room. "Are you sure she's all right? It sounds like Akamaru might be hurting her..."

Naruto cocked his head. "Nah. Those are good sounds for a fox."

Kiba scowled at him. "That's just weird man. I don't even want to know how you know that."

The jounin chuckled. "Yes. Well. It sounds like things are winding down."

Akamaru and Kira trotted out of the room, shook off their coats, and walked over to their regular companion and sat down looking pretty calm and relaxed on the whole. Akamaru thumped his tail on the ground and looked up at his master seeming to ask for further instruction.

Kiba gave a small sigh and looked at his temporary boss. "So, now what? I'd better not get in trouble for this when we get back."

Naruto nodded. "You won't. Come on, you know a lot more about this place than I do. I had to ride here in a carriage for diplomatic reasons. I didn't get to see much of the land, and I need you to fill me in on the lay of the land around here."

The genin shoved his hand into his pocket and gave a snort. "All right. Just don't expect me to do too much. I'm not used to my hand being gone yet. It damn near killed me, and I'm not at a hundred percent yet. I could have made it back on my own fine though. It's not that difficult a trip." He got a dark look in his eyes as he said it. "Hinata...she'll be all right?"

Naruto gave a shrug. "I can't say what will happen to her. I suppose it will depend on what she has to say if she ever returns. I'm not sure how the Hyuuga will take this. She's a member of the main branch, and they may not take having an unprotected set of Byakugan eyes outside of their control very well. I think the clan will at least attempt to capture her and bring her back if nothing else. I suspect the Hokage will not get involved unless they fail several attempts to retrieve her. If nothing else she has time. She's not been branded a criminal yet. I'm hoping we can find her first. Maybe clear this up quickly and quietly."

Kiba narrowed his eyes at the boy. "What do you mean 'clear this up'?"

"I've got no orders to hurt her, or capture her. I am to attempt to make contact, and if possible convince her to return with us or on her own. It doesn't matter which." Naruto seemed to understand his suspicion. "Don't worry. I'm not here as an assassin. I've got her sister as a genin on my team, and I have diplomatic ties to Whirlpool already. Contacting Hinata is a secondary objective. I'm here to protect the stability of Whirlpool by keeping Odiri alive long enough to cement his claim and take control." He glanced at the genin walking down the hall with him. "I like to complete secondary objectives. It's an obsession really. I think you'll be of use in that. She's not very trusting of me. I'm a bit worried she might not take my presence well."

The genin chuckled. "Yeah. I can understand that. You seriously creep her out."

The blond nin nodded. "Yes. Exactly. Having you with me, as well as her sister, may help with that. It might even be best if I keep out of it and let you and Hanabi be the ones to contact her."

Kiba looked a little suspicious, but nodded. "I guess." He was feeling much better being on his feet. Getting a good rubdown had helped too, and he didn't mind the finish. Having her go for his dog right after was a little strange, but he wasn't upset about it. Akamaru looked pretty mellow and passive. He wasn't all right though. His teacher had died, he'd lost an arm, and it didn't feel much like a victory to him.

Naruto glanced at him. "Don't worry. I'm not planning on running you around with my team. I might ask for a hand, but you're mostly on the sidelines for this one."

"I'm not weak. I'll be fine," growled Kiba. He was still a bit sensitive about his missing arm and noticed how Naruto had put it. He wanted something to do, something to take his mind of things for a bit. He decided to just let it slide and see how things went.

"No, but you are injured. It's going to take time for you to adjust and recover. I'll keep you busy, but my team will be taking care of most of the work. I'm supposed to be instructing them after all." Naruto slapped him on the shoulder and lead him through the temple's hallway. "Relax. It'll be nice to see someone else stuck with the grunt work for once, won't it?"

"Har, har," growled the boy. He wasn't feeling bad about it all, and it would be nice for someone else to take care of most of the boring work for a change. Akamaru trotted up beside him looking pleased and relaxed as they left. He made a point of stopping to thank the old priest who had cared for him and his dog, and with that they went on their way.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

AN: Due to the amount of comments about it, I feel I should add a comment here. First of all, not only is Naruto married to a giant monster, but he's also the ruler of a large group of spirit beings who have magical powers. Kitsune are a form of monster themselves. Not to mention if you consider the nature of some of the members of Akatsuki, a few of them are real monsters as well. Orochimaru created zombies, Sarutobi summoned the Monkey King, Naruto is full of Gods, Demons, immortals, and monsters. Vampires may have been unexpected, but are hardly out of place.

Also, no one has mentioned anything about vampires to Naruto at this point. All he knows by the end of this chapter is that Kurenai's team succeeded but barely survived the mission, she died, Hinata went missing, and Kiba was severely injured. That's all he really knows about what happened so far.

Some people are commenting on stuff I edited and fixed a couple of hours ago.


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